One Plus One Equals Three
by mysteriousMonarch
Summary: The trolls are now about 11.5 sweeps old and Sollux and Eridan have been secretly matesprits for a few sweeps now. When Sollux accidentally gets Eridan pregnant they may not be able to hide their relationship from the others for much longer. How will the two handle parenthood?
1. Chapter 1

Eridan Ampora and Sollux Captor had been enjoying a standard, nothing-out- of – the- ordinary, love-making session when it happened. Sollux had been so caught up in the heat of the moment he misjudged his impending climax time and accidentally released his genetic material into his matesprit instead of the bucket he had placed next to the concupiscent couch. Eridan's think pan was also clouded over due to the couple's current activity and the unfamiliar feeling of the yellow blood's material suddenly gushing into him sent him over the edge as well. Sollux's lap was suddenly covered in sticky violet fluid. The hacker let out a groan as he collapsed in a sweaty mess onto the sea dweller's cool chest and Eridan hissed as he felt the two warm bulges leave his nook to return to their sheath.

As the two lay tangled together sharing light kisses, Eridan finally spoke. "So that was fuckin' weird," he said with a slight laugh while threading his fingers through the other troll's damp hair.

"Thorry," Sollux mumbled groggily into Eridan's shoulder.

"You'd better not be fallin' asleep," Eridan threatened. "We still have to clean this shit up." Sollux let out a noise of protest before the high blood shoved him off the couch. Landing on the floor definitely made him feel more awake and he sat up glaring at the grinning troll on the couch.

"Fuck you ED," Sollux said but the insult was light hearted. The pair had actually started off as well known kismesises a few sweeps ago but eventually made the transition to matesprits once they realized their insults no longer held any venom and their scratches were more like caresses. Neither had wanted to hear what all of their peers would say about the switch so they decided to just make it seem as though they had broken up altogether and keep their actual relationship a secret.

"Uh, Sol?" Eridan asked hesitantly as he sat up on the couch. "None of your material is on the couch." He sounded a bit worried. Sollux immediately stood up to see what Eridan was talking about. His red and blue eyes studied the area critically. Not one drop of yellow was visible there was only violet.

"How ith that pothible? I blew my load all over you," Sollux asked in confusion.

"More like _in_ me," Eridan countered. Sollux seemed to consider that for a moment before reaching down and grabbing Eridan's thighs, wrenching them apart. "What the fuck are you doin'?" the sea troll demanded. Sollux ignored his matesprit's protests and carefully inspected the violet blood's nook. There was a small trail of yellow leaking out from the entrance but that was all Sollux could see. There should definitely be more than that.

"It theemth like all my material thtayed inthide you," Sollux deducted. The two looked at each other for a moment before deciding to just not think too much about it. For the next month they didn't think about it at all. They continued their lives like normal until one night Eridan was forced to reexamine that night's events.

Sollux had gone to Karkat's hive to play video games so Eridan decided he would take a trip to the library for some new reading material. He had been feeling a bit ill all evening but had decided that it was probably just indigestion. While he had been in the ablution trap washing up he could've sworn that his stomach looked a bit fuller than usual. Of course he decided that this was just bloating that went along with the indigestion. He was thrown for a loop while he was getting dressed and he found that his pants nearly wouldn't fasten. Now that he thought about it they had been feeling a bit tighter the last week.

He searched his closet for a pair of looser fitting pants and finally came up with a pair that he had never actually worn because he had accidentally gotten the wrong size when he bought them and had been too lazy to return them. When they seemed to fit perfectly he panicked a little bit. "Great, now I'm getting' fuckin' fat," he muttered harshly, mentally making a note to start going to the gym.

He left the hive that he and Sollux shared and began the short trek to the library. The walk, which normally seemed to take no time at all, felt like it was taking ages. It didn't help that by the time he finally reached the library he had ended up stopping twice due to an overwhelming feeling of nausea and once because his mood had suddenly taken a swing from frustrated to uncontrollable sobbing. When he finally entered the quiet, overly air conditioned building he had already made up his mind that this night was just a really shitty night and was hoping that getting some new books about ancient wars would make him feel better.

After browsing the shelves for nearly half an hour Eridan had made his final selections and was ready to check them out. He walked passed a study table that had a lone occupant sitting at it pouring over a large opened book. The troll glanced up from her studies just in time to see Eridan walking by. "Hello Eridan," the female troll greeted quietly. The sea troll jumped slightly at the unexpected voice and turned to see who it was.

"Hey Kan," Eridan responded upon realizing who had addressed him.

"Doing some light reading?" Kanaya questioned jokingly in reference to the three large books the other troll was carrying. Eridan gave a slight upturn of his lips.

"I could say the same for you," he replied while casting a pointed look at the large tome in front of the jade blood. "What is that even about?" he asked while setting his books down on the table.

"Oh a little of this, a little of that," Kanaya answered dismissively with a small smile. Eridan rolled his eyes teasingly. "Eridan, may I ask you something?" The sea troll pulled out a chair and took a seat on the opposite side of the table.

"A course. What did you want to ask?" he answered. Kanaya surreptitiously glanced around before leaning in closer over the table.

"How long have you been in your condition?" she asked quietly. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity. Eridan frowned.

"What the fuck are you talkin' about, Kan?" he asked after a beat of silence. Kanaya studied his features for a moment before closing her eyes and inhaling deeply. She opened her eyes and released the breath with a small smile on her lips. Eridan was still confused as he watched what he assumed was some sort of meditation technique.

"Do you really not know?" she inquired softly.

"Kan, I really don't have the time for this. Will you just stop beatin' around the bush and get on with it if you have somethin' to say," Eridan said angrily. His night had already been shitty enough without all these mind games. He just wanted to get back home and either curl up with one of his books or puke his guts out. Both options seemed rather favorable at the moment. Maybe if he finally puked he could start feeling better.

"Eridan," Kanaya glanced around one more time before whispering quietly to him. "You are gravid." The violet blooded troll continued to stare at the female across from him for a moment as he tried to process what she said. Unfortunately, gravid was not something that was in his vocabulary.

"I'm what?" he spat back. "I don't even know what that means!" he whispered harshly.

"You are pregnant," Kanaya repeated with a straight face. Eridan immediately froze in place. He stared at the serene look on the other troll's face as all of the events from the evening came flooding back to him with a new meaning. He finally thought back to that night the previous month when Sollux had finished inside him and mysteriously none of the material came back out. Suddenly it felt like his stomach was doing somersaults.

"How is this possible?" he asked in fear. "We use a Mother Grub to reproduce. How can I possibly…" he trailed off and dropped his head into his hands feeling sicker than ever. Kanaya reached out her hand and placed it on top of one of his for comfort.

"Do you honestly not know what your body is capable of as a sea dweller?" Kanaya asked in surprise. Eridan shook his head. "Honestly, it is like I am the only one that cares to know anything about how my own species functions," she muttered irritably. Eridan lifted his gaze to her and gave her a deadly look. He had just been given life-altering news; he didn't want to be chastised for his apparent ignorance as well. Kanaya 'tsked' at him.

"This is what I spend all my time studying," she gestured to the book beneath her, which Eridan then realized was a large book on the history of troll medicine. "Land trolls can only reproduce by collecting their genetic material and giving it to the Mother Grub, as you are familiar with. Sea trolls, however, can reproduce sexually and are oviparous," she explained calmly. In a way, Eridan almost found her voice soothing. "The reason for this," the jade blood continued, "is because long ago sea trolls exclusively lived underwater. They never walked on land as the sea trolls of today do. In fact, all trolls started out as sea dwellers but over time some evolved to become the land dwellers we have today while others remained in the water. This is why the violet and Tyrian bloods are so rare but are also regarded as royalty. In a way, today's modern sea dwellers are more closely related to the ancient trolls from the beginning of time. I am sorry, I seem to have digressed there for a moment." She patted Eridan's hand lightly.

"How can you even tell that I am- ya know?" Eridan asked wearily.

"All in good time," Kanaya assured him before resuming her tale. "Now where was I? Oh yes. Sea dwellers produce eggs within their body every so often which can be fertilized by another troll's genetic material being ejaculated inside the nook. The material is then held inside the body to be absorbed by the eggs. Once the eggs have been fertilized they begin developing. They increase in size as a yolk of genetics is built up inside to later form a young grub. The reason for this type of reproduction is simple. A Mother Grub cannot survive in the water and with ancient sea dwellers never surfacing there would be no way to collect their material in a bucket. The material would disperse as soon as it hit the water so a more direct approach developed."

"As for how I can tell that you are currently carrying fertilized eggs, I can smell it" she smiled. Eridan pulled a face.

"What do you mean you can smell it?" he asked skeptically. Kanaya appeared puzzled here herself.

"I am not sure how to explain it since this has obviously not happened during anyone's lifetime that is still living. Maybe it is just in my blood color to be able to recognize it. Pregnant trolls emit pheromones that are supposed to be a clear indicator of pregnancy. Everyone will be able to smell it on you but I'm quite certain that I am the only one that will recognize it for what it is. Different trolls will have different reactions depending on what their instincts tell them. Troll pregnancy can really bring out our hidden feral instincts. I was not aware you were currently in a relationship with anyone?" Kanaya asked sweetly. The sea troll seemed to be going in and out of a daze. It had been a long night.

"Yeah. Yeah I have a matesprit that did this I guess," he replied absently.

"Any guess as to how far along you could be?" she inquired. Eridan's mind went back to that night.

"Probably a month," his mouth felt awfully dry. Was it hot in this library? He fidgeted in his seat very aware of how bloated his stomach felt. Kanaya's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"No wonder I could smell it. Trolls only carry the eggs for about five moths before laying them. You only have four more months to go then," she informed him. Eridan felt the blood drain from his face.

"I only have four months before I have Gog knows how many grubs runnin' around?" he nearly shrieked.

"No, no," Kanaya soothed. "Once the eggs have been laid you still have four more months until they hatch," she assured. "If you need any help with this or have any questions feel free to come see me at anytime." Eridan nodded solemnly. Suddenly a thought occurred to him.

"Should I- should I hold off on, ya know, until the eggs are laid?" he asked quietly.

"Oh!" Kanaya covered a small laugh. "Actually, the extra genetic material should be beneficial to the eggs' development. And actually, sea dwellers are not known for having large clutches. Expect four or five at the most," she added. Eridan nodded again slowly.

"Well I suppose I should get back to the hive and figure out how to break the news," he stood from the table and began gathering his books. "Thanks, I guess, for tellin' me." He was still very shaken up.

"Eridan," Kanaya caught his attention before he could leave. He turned his gaze towards her. "Those pheromones I mentioned can be very powerful things. They bring out a troll's natural instincts that have been innate to us since we were feral creatures. They are designed to be very alluring to the troll who sired your clutch- your matesprit. He or she will be drawn to your side and will want to protect you from any potential threats. It will only get stronger the farther along you are. Instincts can be very unpredictable things," she warned.

"I'll let you know if I need anythin'," the violet blood assured her. He checked out his books at the front desk and began walking back to his and Sollux's hive. Did he think this night was shitty before he arrived at the library? He wished he could go back to that time because it seemed like the best day ever compared to how he was feeling now. Then again, not knowing the truth didn't make him any less pregnant earlier this evening than he was now. How could he possibly tell Sollux? He suddenly stopped in his tracks and crouched down to violently vomit on the sidewalk in front of him. His stomach felt like it was in knots. He needed to get home.


	2. Chapter 2

Eridan's keys jangled noisily as he let himself inside the hive and made his way to the coffee table to set his books down. He could easily pick up on the sound of Sollux typing away on his keyboard from the room the two used as an office down the hall.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Sollux called to him without missing a beat in his typing and clicking. Eridan was about to respond when he felt another wave of bile rise to his throat. This was just not his night. With his mouth clamped shut he rushed to the nearest receptacle he could think of which happened to be the meal block sink. As his stomach attempted to empty more of its contents he heard Sollux ask, "ED?" The typing had stopped. Even while the violet blood was gasping over the sink with a trail of spit hanging from his mouth he was figuring that Sollux had to have been playing a game rather than working on coding. Had the yellow blooded troll been coding he wouldn't have even noticed Eridan getting home at all.

Just as the sea troll felt that he had finished being sick for the time being he heard light footsteps approaching. "Eridan?" Sollux asked with concern lacing his voice. Eridan turned his head away from the sink slightly, with a mess of saliva still around his mouth, to see his matesprit standing at the thresh hold of the meal block looking quite startled.

"Oh shit!" Sollux exclaimed when he noticed what a mess the other troll was. He hurried to grab a clean dishrag and bring it over to where Eridan stood hunched over the sink. After running the rag under the water he began gently wiping away the mess around the high blood's lips. "What'th wrong?" he asked softly.

"Just not feelin' so hot tonight," Eridan groaned.

"Do I need to take you to a doctor?" Sollux asked getting worried.

"No!" Eridan couldn't help his knee jerk response. He realized how panicked he may have sounded by the slight upturn of the eyebrows Sollux gave him. "I mean, no we don't need to do that. It's probably just somethin' I ate. I'm sure I should feel better tomorrow," he lied. He knew he needed to tell Sollux the truth but the words just wouldn't come to him. The yellow blood seemed to accept his story.

"Well let'th at leatht get you into the 'coon. You should probably retht you look like shit," Sollux told him rather bluntly. Eridan was too exhausted to fight back and, if he was being honest with himself, he probably did look like shit. He let his matesprit press his hand lightly to the small of his back and guide him to the respite block.

He attempted to cover his front as much as possible while he stripped and climbed into the recuperacoon. Once he was fully submerged in the slime Sollux leaned down to place a kiss on his forehead. Eridan could've sworn he felt the Gemini inhale deeply as his lips made contact with his skin. Sollux pulled away from him slowly and gazed at him intensely with his heterochromatic eyes. The violet blood looked back at him uncertainly and under the thick slime his hands gravitated to rest on the definitely there small bump of his lower stomach. The intensity remained in Sollux's eyes as he leaned towards Eridan again, this time planting a soft kiss on the sea troll's neck just below his gills. Eridan was certain that he heard the other troll inhale deeply against his neck. A shiver ran down the high blood's spine. Sollux locked eyes with his matesprit for a moment once he had pulled away from the other's neck.

"I'm, uh, jutht going to finish thith campaign with KK then I'll come to the 'coon," the yellow blood said sounding as though he was not entirely sure why he was behaving in such a way.

"Alright," Eridan replied before working on getting into a cozy position to sleep in. Sollux left the room, turning the light off as he went leaving Eridan in the dark to sleep. As the violet blood began drifting off to sleep he thought, 'Tomorrow. I'll tell him tomorrow. I just found out today anyway so what harm could one more day do?'

'I'll just tell him tomorrow,' Eridan thought to himself a week later as he lay curled up on the couch wearing loose fitting lounge clothes and reading one of the books he had gotten from the library. He had been repeating the same thought to himself every night for seven nights straight. Every time he thought about broaching the subject with Sollux he always got anxious and decided that putting it off one more day couldn't hurt. The only problem was it was hurting.

Even though Eridan's egg bump wasn't very big yet it was noticeable that his stomach wasn't exactly as flat as it normally would be. He was so paranoid about Sollux noticing the change that he kept making excuses to get out of being intimate with him. He avoided changing in front of him and panicked whenever the yellow blood's hands got anywhere near his stomach while they were curled up together in the recuperacoon. He was sure that Sollux could tell something was up. Luckily he was never as sick as he was the day he found out the news. Occasional waves of nausea would hit but nothing too serious.

While he was busy hiding his pregnancy from his matesprit, he was also coming more to terms with it. The gravity of the situation had finally set in and now that he knew his symptoms were not caused by indigestion but by eggs developing within him he felt a bit overwhelmed. He often found himself resting his hands on the small bump and couldn't help but feel a sense of attachment to whatever rested inside. Slowly but surely he was growing more comfortable with the fact that he was carrying eggs.

A few days later Eridan was ready. He was going to tell Sollux the truth no matter what. His egg bump was only going to keep getting bigger so his options were to either tell him right now or tell him later when he could no longer hide it. Either way, Sollux was going to have to know about it.

The Aquarius had been out running errands and buying groceries when he returned to the hive to see his matesprit lounging on the couch lazily watching a documentary on lusii. Eridan always felt uncomfortable with the subject of lusii due to his past history with them. His duty of feeding Feferi's custodian had long since been passed on to some other troll that was much younger than him. Even Feferi wasn't really involved with the mammoth creature anymore now that she had grown into an adult like the rest of their group of friends. "Hey Sol," he greeted as he carried the bags of groceries in to the meal block. Sollux lifted one of his arms into the air and gave a half assed wave. This was it. He was going to tell him. First he had to ease into conversation.

"How was your evening?" the sea troll asked as calmly as he could. He busied himself with putting the groceries away. If he made eye contact with the other troll right now he would lose his nerve.

"It wath alright," Sollux said from the couch.

"Oh that's good," Eridan responded absently. He had to stop what he was doing and just grip the counter. His hands were shaking too badly to put anything else away.

"Tho thith thing I've been watching hath me remembering what it wath like with my luthus back in the day," Sollux called to him from where he was sitting.

"Yeah?" Eridan responded trying to keep the tremble out of his voice.

"Yeah," the yellow blood continued. "I don't know how it wath with your luthus but mine wath ridiculouthly high maintenanthe."

"I didn't really have to do much for my lusus," Eridan admitted. "I did feel that he was a bit rude at times," he added somewhat bitterly. The high blood began to relax a bit while he let the conversation distract him from the topic he was planning on bringing up.

"Fuck, I with I could've been that lucky!" Sollux complained.

"Why? What did yours do?" the Aquarius asked curiously.

"Gog, what didn't he do?" Sollux groaned in frustration. "I had to keep him chained to the roof of my hive, if that giveth you any clue ath to how bat shit inthane he wath."

"Oh," was all Eridan could think to say in his surprise.

"Not to mention the fact that I had to conthtantly feed him mind honey. You know how dangerouth it ith for me to handle that thtuff. Ath if it wathn't enough dealing with it for my computerth." Sollux let out a sigh and rubbed his eyes underneath his glasses. "I mean, part of me thort of mitheth him but Gog damn, I do not mith having that rethponthibility." Something about the way the yellow blood said those last words didn't quite sit right with Eridan.

"What exactly do you mean?" the sea troll prodded.

"Like, I don't mith having to conthtantly take care of thomeone elthe," Sollux explained and leaned his head towards Eridan to give him a crooked grin. "You know I can barely take care of mythelf let alone thomeone elthe that ith entirely dependent on me." Eridan felt a lump of fear rise to his throat but Sollux continued to dig the hole deeper. "I'd shoot mythelf if I had to deal with taking care of my luthus again." The psionic turned his attention back to the program he had been watching. "Bethideth," he added off handedly, "it'th nithe jutht living alone with you and being independent, don't you think?" There was a stretch of silence as Eridan stood in the meal block frozen in shock. He eventually quipped a quick 'mhm' in response and realized that his claws were beginning to dig into the counter top.

As the violet blood attempted to hold off the full scale anxiety attack he could feel coming on he managed to force himself to say, "I'll be right back. I forgot to pick something up." Within seconds he was out the door to the hive, leaving Sollux a bit confused. Eridan plunged his hand into his pocket as he walked at a brisk pace and pulled out his phone. It was difficult to see the screen through all the tears in his eyes but he managed to shoot a quick text to Kanaya letting her know he was on the way.


	3. Chapter 3

When Eridan arrived at Kanaya's hive he could no longer hold himself together and the jade blood ended up opening the door to a sobbing mess. The Virgo had been unsure of what to expect when she received the sudden text from her pregnant friend but she was certainly surprised to see him in such a state. "Oh my!" she exclaimed before taking his arm and leading him inside her hive.

"What happened, Eridan?" Kanaya asked calmly once she had situated the hysterical troll on the couch.

"I can't do it!" Eridan blubbered. His face was all wet from his tears and his eyes were all puffy. Kanaya had to admit this was not the sea troll's most flattering moment. "I can't tell him!" he cried.

"Just calm down. Take deep breaths," Kanaya soothed as she rubbed her hand in circles on the other troll's shuddering back. The sea troll made no attempt to calm down nor did he take deep breaths.

"If I tell him he'll probably just leave me!" he shouted as he continued sobbing. "He doesn't want the responsibility so he'll just leave so he won't have to deal with it!" Eridan looked at Kanaya with the most agonizing look of despair written on his face. "I don't want to do this alone," he pleaded. Kanaya removed her hand from his back and grabbed his face. With her hands on his cheeks she turned his head to face her straight on and looked him dead in the eye.

"Eridan, I am more than willing to help you," she said evenly, "but you have got to pull yourself together right now. Do you understand me?" She kept her eyes locked on his. The Aquarius gulped and nodded as best as he could with his face sandwiched between Kanaya's hands. She let go of his face and adjusted her skirt as she got more comfortable in her position on the couch. "Now, tell me what is wrong," she prompted calmly. Eridan finally took that deep breath.

"I was going to tell him, my matesprit, about me bein' pregnant," he explained. "But right as I was about to bring it up he starts goin' off about how shitty it was takin' care 'a his lusus when he was younger an' how he hates responsibility an' shit." Tears began welling up in the sea dweller's eyes once again. "So now what am I supposed to do? 'Oh hey, I know you just said you don't want extra responsibility but in a few months I'm goin' to be layin' eggs an' they're yours.'" He sniffled for a moment. "What do you think he's gonna do, Kan?" Eridan asked bitterly. The jade blood sighed and rubbed her temples for a moment.

"Before I begin with what I have to say on the matter let me get you some tea. You have been crying so much we would not want for you to get dehydrated." Kanaya went over to her dining table where a full spread of tea and finger foods were laid out. It seemed odd at first then Eridan noticed that it looked like two tea cups were used.

"Do you have company?" he asked nervously. Kanaya quirked an eyebrow at him as she returned to the couch holding a fancy porcelain tea cup on a saucer.

"Oh. No," she handed the hot beverage to the male troll before resuming her place on the couch. "I had Nepeta over for some tea before you texted me. I thought it would be best if she were no longer here when you arrived so I wrapped up our visit," she explained. Eridan sighed.

"Great, now I'm fuckin' up other peoples' lives too. I'm sorry I wrecked your tea party," he apologized sadly. Kanaya waved her hand dismissively.

"Do not be ridiculous you did not ruin anything. Nepeta had already been over for a few hours. It was about time for her to go home anyways." She sat up attentively as Eridan took slow sips of his tea. "Now, as for the issue at hand," she began almost business-like. "I do not know who your matesprit is so I cannot be certain whether I know him personally or not, therefore I cannot accurately tell you what I do or do not think he will do. I am sure that when you are ready you will disclose that information with me. He is flushed for you though, right?" she inquired gently.

"Well yeah, I suppose so," Eridan answered meekly.

"The two of you are happy together?" the jade blood asked. Eridan nodded. "Well Eridan, you just need to tell him regardless of what he has said. Sometimes people can be persuaded contrary to what they previously believed when faced with the issue in a different light. Perhaps he was not fond of caring for his lusus but he may find that he rather enjoys caring for his grubs." Kanaya smiled warmly. "What is certain is that you are now a month and a half pregnant. You still have three and a half more months to go before you will be laying your eggs. From what I have read, it will certainly become very difficult to conceal your condition the more the eggs develop." Eridan placed his now empty tea cup and saucer on the coffee table in front of him and sighed for what felt like the millionth time in the last hour.

A muffled chime was heard from the Aquarius's pocket. He pulled his phone out and checked the screen to see that Sollux had sent him a text.

TA: Are you ok? You've been actiing weiird lately.

"Everything alright?" Kanaya asked.

"Yeah it's my matesprit. He can tell somethin's up," Eridan explained. He wasn't sure why he was still hiding the fact that Sollux was his matesprit from the one troll that already knew his biggest secret.

"Well he's bound to have noticed something by now. Your pheromones have gotten a bit stronger since the last time we talked," Kanaya pointed out. Eridan gave her a skeptical look and lifted his arm to his nose to take a whiff.

"I don't smell anythin'," he complained. The Virgo gave a light laugh.

"You would not be able to as it is your own scent," she told him in an amused way. The sea troll rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Figures," he muttered before deciding that it would probably be a good idea to text Sollux back.

CA: im fine sol ill be home in a little wwhile 3

"Hey Kan?" Eridan spoke softly.

"Yes?" she responded while turning her attention to the sea troll next to her.

"Thanks," he said sincerely. "For all of this, I mean, I'm sure you had no life plans to get involved in somethin' as crazy as this. Just," he struggled to find the right words for a moment. "Thank you for everythin'." Kanaya reached out and placed a small hand on top of his.

"It is really no problem at all. Honestly, I am quite fascinated by the situation," she told him earnestly.

"Oh Gog," Eridan muttered. His phone chimed again in his hand and he unlocked the screen to check it.

TA: 3

He felt a smile flutter across his lips. Maybe Sollux was flushed enough for him to stay. Kanaya noticed the sudden change in the other troll's demeanor.

"I really do wish you the best," she whispered to him. The small smile on his lips grew a bit larger.

"Thanks Kan. Do you mind if I use your ablution block to freshen up a bit before I head home? I probably look like hell," he ran a ringed hand through his messy hair.

"Of course. It is directly down the hall on the right," the jade blood obliged. Once Eridan had disappeared down the hall, Kanaya set to work cleaning up the remnants of her tea party. By the time the table had been cleared the violet blooded troll reappeared from the ablution block with a clean face and freshly coiffed hair.

"Well I'd better get back home," he sounded nervous again and was resting his hand on his egg bump out of reflex.

"You will do fine. I will be here should you need to return," Kanaya assured him. He took a deep shaky breath then let it out.

"Here goes… everythin'," he whispered before hugging Kanaya goodbye and then making his way back to his hive.

He could hear the sound of Sollux's voice as soon as he closed the door to the hive behind him. Once he had stepped out of the entry way and into the living room he could see that the yellow blood was sitting on the couch with his husktop on the coffee table in front of him. Sollux's head snapped up from the screen to see Eridan entering the room and a flash of panic crossed his face.

"Hold on a thecond," the psionic said quickly before jumping up and running over to Eridan. Before the sea troll could ask any questions Sollux had his hand clamped over his mouth and was leaning in close to his ear fin.

"Be very quiet. I've got KK on a video chat because I'm trying to help him fix hith computer and I didn't feel like going all the way over to hith hive," Sollux explained as quietly as he could. Another part of hiding their relationship meant that they never invited any of their friends over to their hive so that no one would know they lived together.

Eridan nodded his head in understanding and was about to head over to the meal block for a snack when suddenly he was very aware of the slightly taller troll sniffing him.

"What are you doin'?" he whispered in slight confusion before he remembered what Kanaya had told him about his pheromones. Sollux lifted his face from the nape of Eridan's neck where he had been sniffing. He looked angry.

"Why do you reek of Kanaya?" the low blooded troll demanded. Eridan was caught off guard.

"I was just over at her hive. She invited me for tea," the Aquarius told him. It was mostly true. The next thing he knew he felt Sollux's split tongue gliding up his neck, over his gills, and all the way to the base of his ear fin. A shiver went down his back. "What are you doin'?" he whispered again.

"I don't like you coming home thmelling like other trollth," Sollux growled possessively as he grabbed the high blood's hips and pulled him closer. "You're mine," he whispered into his ear making his fins flutter at the sensation of his hot breath. Before Eridan could say anything else Sollux had smashed their lips together harshly and immediately plunged his bifurcated tongue into his mouth. Eridan couldn't keep himself from moaning slightly because, fuck, it had been a long time since he had let Sollux do anything like this to him.

Sollux began grinding his hips against Eridan's as they stood there making out. After only about a minute of that, the yellow blood was pulling the other troll down to the floor with him and set to work unbuttoning his pants while still attempting to kiss him heatedly.

"Right here?" Eridan whispered in surprise as his pants and boxers were yanked down to his ankles where he could kick them off. "You still have Kar on a video chat literally two feet away from us," he reminded his matesprit.

"Doethn't matter," Sollux responded breathlessly between kisses as he hastily undid his own pants and pushed them along with his boxers down his thighs. The yellow blood wasted no time sticking two of his fingers into Eridan's nook to prepare him for what was to come. The violet blood fought to hold back a moan in fear of being heard by Karkat. He glanced over at the back of the husktop that was sitting on the coffee table. If it were turned around Karkat would certainly be getting an eyeful right now. He was brought out of his thoughts by a sudden sharp pain in his shoulder.

"Ow, what the fuck?" he whispered harshly. Sollux had nipped at his shoulder rather hard. He had also apparently decided he had wasted enough time prepping and was now moving on to the main event.

"Everyone ith going to know you're mine after thith," he said in a low voice. Eridan thought it sounded so sexy he nearly came right then. Sollux was never this possessive. Pailing him right when he walked in the door simply because he had the scent of another troll on him? It seemed absurd, but here he was on the floor of his living room with Sollux slowly pushing one of his bulges into his nook while Karkat sat waiting in a live video chat just a few feet away for Sollux to return.

Sollux had worked up to a quick pace of thrusting in and out of his nook, occasionally huffing out small groans into Eridan's ear. The violet blood ended up biting down on part of his scarf in an attempt to keep himself from moaning too loudly. He slipped up and a sound of pleasure escaped his lips once he felt his matesprit's second bulge enter his body. Sollux was too caught up with completely marking Eridan as his own to reprimand him for being too noisy. Instead, the sound went straight to his bulges and the rhythm he had established went off beat momentarily and he released his genetic material into the Aquarius for the second time as he let out a breathy moan into the other's ear fin. The combined sensation of his lover's come flooding his nook and the erotic noises Sollux was making in his ear brought on his own orgasm not too long after. Sollux kissed him passionately for a moment before ending it with a playful nip to his bottom lip.

"I should get back to KK," the yellow blood panted quietly. Eridan kissed him again and the two began pulling their pants back on.

"Are you goin' to be much longer? I need to talk to you about somethin'," Eridan said after much consideration.

"Shouldn't be much longer," Sollux assured him. With his pants securely back in place the psionic went back to his seat on the couch in front of the husktop. His hair was a bit disheveled and his face was flushed. "Thorry about that KK," Sollux told his irritated friend. Just as Eridan was finally on his way to get a snack he clearly heard Karkat shouting from his end of the computer.

"Did you actually just fucking leave our conversation to pail someone in the middle of your fucking living room while I was still on the line? You're a disgusting asshole!"


	4. Chapter 4

An hour or so later Sollux found Eridan seated at his desk in their shared office pouring over one of his books. He couldn't help but smile at the sea troll's intense concentration. "You wanted to tell me thomething?" the Gemini asked as he made his presence known. Eridan jumped slightly at the unexpected sound.

"Um, yeah. I do," the violet blood answered nervously while shutting the book in front of him. Sollux moved closer to stand next to him.

"Alright, shoot," he said casually. Eridan snuck a glance into his matesprit's curious red and blue eyes before averting his gaze to his own lap.

"Maybe it would be best if you sat down," the high blood said quietly.

"Okay?" Eridan could hear the concern in Sollux's voice as he grabbed his roller chair from his desk and pushed it to the other side of the room to sit in front of him. "ED what'th wrong?" the psionic asked once he had taken his seat. The Aquarius was still keeping his gaze lowered to his lap and was visibly trembling. Sollux reached out a clawed hand and gently lifted the other troll's chin. "Eridan?" he was shocked to see tears sliding down his matesprit's face.

"I've been meanin' to tell you this for awhile," Eridan moved his face away from Sollux's hand and focused on playing with the rings on his fingers. He couldn't look his lover in the eye. Not when this could possibly be the end.

"You're thcaring me, Eridan," Sollux whispered urgently.

"I promise I've been meanin' to tell you, Sol," Eridan continued despite how shaky his voice had become and the tears in his eyes. "I just didn't know how and then you said you didn't want extra responsibility. I've just been afraid that you will leave me and I-,"

"I will never leave you!" Sollux interjected harshly, cutting off the sobbing troll. Eridan's eyes snapped up to meet the red and blue ones in front of him. Watery violet eyes searched the heterochromatic ones in front of them. Sollux looked genuinely offended.

"I'm pregnant," Eridan breathed. The two trolls continued to stare into each other's eyes to gauge their reactions and emotions. Sollux's eyes widened a bit.

"How ith that even pothible?" the Gemini nearly shouted in irritation.

"I don't know! It's a sea dweller thing, Kan explained it all!" Eridan shouted back, his emotions running wild and feeding off of the pace Sollux had set by his initial outburst.

"Kanaya knowth about thith?" the yellow blood yelled in shock.

"She's the one who told me I was fuckin' pregnant in the first place! I had no fuckin' idea!" Eridan shrieked. He honestly wasn't sure if they were having an argument or not at the moment. All he knew was that he certainly wasn't angry. He was only raising his voice because Sollux was and he would be damned if he was the only one being yelled at. The only things he felt at the moment were fear and uncertainty.

Sollux and Eridan sat in silence. The yellow blood's eyebrows were furrowed and the only sound in the room was Eridan's ragged breathing.

"Thith ith probably why we tharted out in thpades. You can be tho fucking thupid thometimes," Sollux finally spoke.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Eridan snapped.

"You haven't figured out by now that I'm not going anywhere," the Gemini shook his head. "Fuck!" He stood from his chair with Eridan watching him intently and went over to his desk to rummage through a drawer. He returned to his seat which gave a pathetic squeak when he sat down. "I've wanted to give you thith for awhile now but I wath alwayth too nervouth which theemth pretty fucking thupid now." The low blood handed the troll in front of him the small black box he had retrieved from his desk.

Eridan held the box in his trembling hand and gave Sollux a questioning look. The double horned troll sighed. "Open it ath hole," he commanded. Eridan narrowed his eyes at the insult but turned his attention back to the box. The sea troll finally opened it with his fumbling fingers and he gasped at what he found inside. An ornate ring sat nestled in the velvet cushion of the box's interior. It had a gold band much like his other rings but the sparkling stone set in the middle was a beautiful mix of purple and yellow.

"Sollux," Eridan whispered. He couldn't think of anything else to say. He was speechless.

"It's ametrine," Sollux informed him taking the box back from Eridan's hand and removing the ring from it. He gently pulled one of the sea troll's hands toward him and slipped the ring onto a bare finger whose ring had been lost long ago. He kept the hand in his grasp.

"I'm goin' to be havin' grubs," Eridan insisted, still testing the waters to be sure he understood what was going on. He continued to look Sollux in the eye. The yellow blood kept his gaze steady and tightened his grip on the other's hand slightly.

"I'm thtill not going anywhere," he responded evenly. The weight that lifted off of Eridan's blood pusher made it feel like it was flying. The two sat in silence again for a moment. Sollux eventually released the other's hand and leaned back in his chair a bit. "Tho how long exactly have you been meaning to tell me thith?" he asked in curiosity. Eridan noticed Sollux's eyes kept darting down to his stomach. The sea troll smirked at his matesprit's attempt at hiding his glances.

"I'm about a month and a half along," he answered feeling almost guilty. He had really kept this from the other troll for a long time. As expected Sollux appeared surprised.

"How long doeth it latht?"

"Kan said I will be carryin' the eggs for about five months then I lay 'em and they hatch four months after that," Eridan explained.

"How many?" Sollux asked somewhat hesitantly. Eridan shook his head.

"Don't know for sure," the sea troll answered. "Kan said maybe five at the most." Both were silent again as they tried to fathom the thought of having five grubs to take care of.

"Kanaya theemth to really know a lot about thith thtuff," Sollux observed. Eridan shrugged.

"Even she admits that she doesn't know everythin' about it but she knows way fuckin' more than most trolls, that's for damn sure."

"Thorry about earlier," Sollux grinned sheepishly. "You know, the thing about you thmelling like her." Eridan felt a bit of heat rise to his cheeks as he thought about their impromptu pailing from a few hours ago.

"Well I can't say I didn't enjoy it," the violet blood teased. "That's actually another thing Kan told me about. Apparently me bein' pregnant releases some kind of pheromones that are supposed to fuck with everyone's natural instincts an' shit." Sollux let out a thoughtful 'hm'. Silence fell over the two yet again as Eridan watched his matesprit mull over all of the new information. After a few moments a thought finally occurred to the psionic.

"Can I-," he hesitated and ran his tongue over his dry lips nervously. "Can I thee it?" he asked. Eridan felt himself blush and awkwardly stood up from his desk. Sollux quickly jumped up from his chair as well and watched anxiously as the high blood in front of him lifted the hem of his shirt to just below his ribcage exposing his entire abdominal area. The Gemini felt himself inhale sharply as he laid his eyes on the small protrusion that was once his matesprit's flat lower stomach. He slowly reached his hand out and cupped it over the solid roundness of Eridan's cool skin. The violet blood jumped slightly at the contact and the feeling of the warm hand over his egg bump. Up until that moment he had been the only one to ever place a hand there. Everything suddenly felt so real.

Much later that night the two trolls were curled up together in the comfort of their recuperacoon. Eridan told Sollux everything he knew so far about being pregnant while wrapped tightly in the lower blooded troll's warm embrace. Sollux listened sleepily to everything Eridan had to say until the early hours of dawn with his head tucked into the sea troll's shoulder and his hands resting over the other's stomach.


	5. Chapter 5

A month after Eridan had told Sollux that he was expecting the two found themselves comfortably enjoying each other's company on the couch. Sollux was busy working on a code he had been commissioned to do while Eridan was dozing off with his head resting in his matesprit's lap.

The sea troll's pregnant condition was now much more difficult to conceal. Most of his shirts were too tight over his protruding belly and the only pants that would fit him were a pair of old worn out baggy sweatpants from Sollux's closet. Needless to say, the violet blood hadn't been making many trips outside of the hive lately. Not that Sollux probably would have let him. Lately the psionic seemed reluctant to be away from the high blood for extended periods of time. This was why even though he was coding, an activity he preferred to do in solitude, he had requested that Eridan quietly sit with him on the couch while he worked.

Sollux's full concentration was on the letters and numbers scrolling through his mind and in his haste to type them all out into his husktop he didn't notice the Trollian video call that popped up on his screen until it was too late and he had accidentally answered it.

"Hey Sollux!" Aradia's melodic voice greeted him.

"Shit!" the yellow blood hissed once he realized his mistake. To make matters worse, it wasn't just his moirail on the video call. Nepeta was present as well. Eridan was startled out of his light sleep by the sudden noises.

"Wha-," he tried to ask but felt Sollux's hand clamp down over his mouth. He leaned his head back a bit, careful of his horns, to get a better view of the husktop that rested on the low blood's other leg that he wasn't occupying. One wrong move and he would be visible on the camera.

"Sollux!" Nepeta called out excitedly.

"We need you to settle this little debate we are having," Aradia explained.

"What kind of debate?" Sollux tried not to sound freaked out and released his hold over Eridan's mouth.

"A shipping debate of course!" Nepeta answered enthusiastically.

"What?" Sollux deadpanned.

"Nepeta seems to think that you and Feferi are red for each other but I told her that I disagree because as your moirail I have not heard you mention anything of the sort during our feelings jams," Aradia said.

"Why doeth it even matter?" Sollux asked in frustration as he carefully shifted his body more towards the corner of the couch. Eridan didn't move until Sollux had settled himself against the corner of the cushions and the back of the laptop was facing him. The Aquarius pushed himself up into a sitting position then rose from the couch with some difficulty, his hand automatically going to his swollen stomach. Sollux shot him a questioning look as the two girls giggled about something on the video call. Eridan just mouthed the words 'ablution block' before disappearing down the hall.

"Alternia to Sollux," Aradia teased, pulling the Gemini's attention back to the computer screen. "You kind of spaced out there." Sollux scowled at the loss of Eridan's presence and the interruption of his work.

"You two theriouthly video called me to athk who I have the hoth for? Sure! Let'th have an in depth dithcussion about my quadranth, it'th not like I wath buthy doing anything!" the psionic replied sarcastically.

"Aw, don't be so grumpy, Sollux!" Nepeta cooed. "We were just purrious, as your furriends." Sollux sighed and glanced down the hall where Eridan had disappeared. He should have been out of the ablution block by now. He must've decided it would be best for him to stay out of the living room for now. Sure enough, not too long after Sollux looked back at his computer screen a message box popped up in the bottom corner announcing that caligulasAquarium was now online. At least now he knew where the sea troll was. If he had just logged on that could only mean he was at his desk in the office down the hall.

"You're being awfully defensive, Sollux. Perhaps there is some merit to Nepeta's theory?" Aradia asked suspiciously.

"No," Sollux groaned. "I am not red for FF and I am not being defenthive," he stated. "I am being pithed off that I'm not getting any work done becauthe apparently my quadrant life ith jutht tho fathinating to you two."

"Alright," Aradia submitted skeptically. "See, Nepeta? He's not red for her."

"Fine," the Leo sighed wistfully. "I just had a strong feeling to ship you with someone fishy," she giggled. Sollux blanched at that, hoping he didn't look as nervous as he felt. Luckily, Aradia seemed ready to abandon the topic.

"So this is what your hive looks like," the rust blood admired slyly. "I wouldn't know considering you've never invited me over," she added playfully. Sollux rolled his eyes.

"AA, I thtill hang out with you plenty I don't thee why it matterth if you come to my hive or not," he reasoned. He was pretty sure none of his friends even knew where he lived, which was okay with him because it meant no surprise visitors. Even if Eridan were to not be home at the time it was still glaringly obvious the Aquarius also took up residence there no matter what block of the hive they were in.

As Sollux was occupied with his video chat in the living room, Eridan sat in the office at his computer. He had logged into Trollian to help pass the time and found a message waiting for him from Kanaya.

GA: Hello Eridan. I Hope You Are Doing Well. You Are About Two And A Half Months Along Now, Correct? The Reason I Am Messaging You Is To Inform You That I Have Taken It Upon Myself To Make Some Clothing For You That Should Accommodate Your Growing Eggs. If You Could Stop By My Hive At Your Convenience I Would Like For You To Try Them On.

Eridan was excited about the idea of having access to better fitting clothes. It did not sit well with him that he had to wear ratty sweatpants all the time. Deciding that now was as good a time as ever he set about typing out a response to the message.

CA: hey kan i got your message you are right about howw many months its been you havve no fuckin idea howw happy i am to hear that youvve made me some more clothes seriously kan im wwearin fuckin sweats an that is just not ok ill try to drop by as soon as i can

Satisfied with his correspondence he then began checking all of the blogs that he followed to keep himself entertained. He could still hear Sollux's lisping voice occasionally speaking up from the living room. For the most part, Sollux was stuck listening to the two females excitedly retelling the tale of an adventurous outing they had recently gone on together. He would occasionally throw in obligatory words or phrases that made it seem like he was paying close attention to the conversation.

The epic yarn was suddenly interrupted by a chiming sound coming from the open Trollian window. The text that appeared in the chat box read, "carcinoGeneticist is requesting to join conversation."

"Oh! Karkitty wants to join!" Nepeta clapped her hands together. One of the two girls accepted the request and Sollux groaned as the irritated face of his friend appeared on his screen in a little box alongside the other two. Would he ever get out of this conversation?

"Sollux! Where the fuck have you been?" Karkat growled.

"I've been right here KK," Sollux sighed.

"No shit you've been right there. That's the problem you asshole. You haven't deigned it necessary to hang out with friends in Gog knows how long!" the stubby horned troll nearly shouted.

"I've hung out with you!" Sollux defended.

"Playing online games and Trollian chats don't count, nook stain. When was the last time you actually physically left your Goddamn hive?" Karkat asked harshly.

"I agree, Sollux. It does seem like you've been a bit elusive lately," Aradia chimed in.

"AA, no, don't add to thith," the yellow blood groaned.

"Why do you suddenly have all the time in the world to chat it up with Aradia and Nepeta but when I'm like, 'Hey Sollux, wanna come over and just shoot the shit?' you have every excuse not to come? Not to mention the fact that nobody fucking knows where you even live and you never fucking invite anyone over. It's like you just want us all to think that your hive is some sort of fantastical enigma of hoofbeast shit!" Karkat ranted.

"Oh don't worry, Karkitty! Sollux is only talking to us because I had a very urgent shipping matter that needed to be settled," Nepeta explained.

"I swear to fuck, Nepeta, if you don't stop calling me 'Karkitty'!" Karkat threatened which only led to a giggle fit. Sollux could feel a migraine coming on.

"Would all of you jutht get to the fucking point before I finally come to my thenthes and log out of Trollian altogether tho I can finally get back to work?" the Gemini nearly shouted.

"Fine," Karkat huffed. "The reason I intruded on your little quadrant gossip party in the first place was to tell you that Terezi's wriggling day is coming up and we're having a get together for it. Everyone's invited so maybe Sollux will stop being such a fucking social recluse and get his disturbingly skinny ass out of his hive for once," the Cancer glared into the camera but all parties involved knew the gesture was directed at the yellow blood.

"It hathn't even been that long," Sollux complained.

"As far as I know, it's been about three weeks since anyone has seen you in person," Aradia corrected carefully. Sollux was a bit surprised it had been that long. It certainly didn't feel like it had been three weeks. All he knew was he had decided to take a break from hanging out with other trolls to be around Eridan more often. He had this intensely strong desire to be around his matesprit just in case help was needed or anything happened. The aquatic troll seemed to possess a certain magnetism that pulled at Sollux's senses. He knew it had something to do with Eridan's pregnancy pheromones.

"Fine," Sollux submitted reluctantly. "I'll go to the fucking party. When ith it?"

"A week from today," Karkat informed all three of the trolls in the chat. "Well it's been great but now I have to see who else is online and pass along the invitation. I'll see you assholes next week." Aradia and Nepeta bid farewell in unison and Sollux simply gave a nod.

"Alright, I'd thay we're pretty much done here tho I'm logging off now," the psionic announced.

"See you at the party," Nepeta called to him.

"Bye Sollux," Aradia waved. Sollux waved lethargically and was finally able to log out of Trollian. He went ahead and closed his laptop, setting it aside as he put his feet on the floor and sat up on the edge of the couch. He rubbed his eyes under his glasses and took a deep breath, willing the throbbing in his head to go away.

Once the double horned troll felt more collected he stood from the couch and made his way down the hall to the office. As he came up behind the sea troll that was seated in front of the computer he could see a wall of grey text on the screen.

"Hey," he said softly, placing his hands on Eridan's shoulders and planting a soft kiss on one of his horns. Eridan closed his eyes for a moment to enjoy the feeling. When he reopened them he reached a hand up to grasp one of Sollux's resting on his shoulder.

"Hey Sol," Eridan responded. "So evidently Kar's inviting everyone to Rezi's wrigglin' day thing."

"Yeah he got to me earlier during my highly engaging chat with AA and AC," Sollux said bitterly.

"I don't think I'm goin' to go," Eridan admitted. He turned around in his chair to face his matesprit.

"But I already thaid that I would go," Sollux said a bit surprised.

"Well you can still go," Eridan assured him before looking away somewhat sadly. "I just think it would be best if I sat this one out," he mumbled. Sollux took one of Eridan's hands in his own and rubbed circles over it with his thumb.

"What'th wrong? You love partieth," Sollux asked gently. Eridan gave him a hard look.

"Yeah I know I love parties, Sol, but in case you haven't noticed I'm pregnant now!" the Aquarius snapped. "I can't just waltz into a room full a' our friends an' expect 'em not to notice all the weight I've put on exclusively in my stomach area." He suddenly realized who was at the brunt of his sour attitude and toned his outburst down to just being sulky. "Besides, Kan said that everyone can smell it on me." Sollux squeezed his hand for comfort.

"Yeah but didn't you tell me that she altho thaid that she wath the only one that would know exactly what the thmell meant?" Sollux reminded him.

"Yes, but she also said that the smell was goin' to mess with everyone's instincts whether they recognized it or not. Who knows what the fuck everyone else is goin' to do. It already has you actin' more neurotic than usual around me," Eridan accused.

"No it doethn't," Sollux quickly denied. Eridan quirked a well-groomed brow at the other troll.

"Then why won't you just go to the party without me?" he asked deviously.

Sollux stared blankly at Eridan as he struggled to come up with an answer. Immediately in his mind he imagined actually leaving Eridan at home while he went to the party, but that's when his thoughts started malfunctioning. He felt anxious as his mind went back and forth debating what could happen if he left his matesprit's side. What if he was attacked? Who would be attacking him though, his more rational thoughts wondered. Even if he was attacked, Eridan was a pretty good fighter and could probably defend himself. Then again, what if he was hit in the stomach during the fight? He had to think about the eggs. Vaguely he could hear his rational thoughts screaming at him that there would be no attack in the first place but he couldn't take any chances.

"I jutht don't want to go without you," he finally settled on saying. The look on Eridan's face told him he wasn't buying that excuse.

"Really? You had to think that hard about it before decidin' you'd just rather have me there?" Eridan asked skeptically. "What's the real reason?" he demanded. Sollux glared at him for a moment.

"You might get attacked," the yellow blood mumbled while shifting his gaze to the floor.

"I'm sorry, Sol, what was that?"

"You might get attacked, okay? Look, the point here ith that I jutht want to protect you tho you're going to the goddamn party!" Sollux shouted. Eridan grinned at how flustered the other troll had gotten.

"Well I guess I ain't got a choice then, huh?" the Aquarius smirked in a bemused way. "Kan did say that she's made me some new clothes that should fit better. Maybe they'll help hide this," he gestured vaguely to his stomach area. Sollux decided to use the hand he had been holding to pull Eridan up out of his seat. The sea troll needed a bit of extra help standing but once he was in front of him, the psionic pulled him close and wrapped his arms around him. Sollux shut his eyes and buried his face into the nape of the high blood's neck. He focused on the new enticing scent that had laced itself in with his matesprit's normal smell. It was something that drove him crazy. It made him feel angry, jealous, and turned on all at the same time. It was like a love spell. He nearly laughed at the thought.

"You put a spell on me, ED," Sollux whispered into the chilled skin of the other troll's neck. He could feel Eridan's hands twitch against his back.

"You know how I feel about that subject. Magic isn't real," Eridan told him warily. Sollux could feel the roundness of Eridan's stomach pressed against him and he smiled into his matesprit's neck.

"With you it ith," the yellow blood whispered back, making Eridan blush slightly.

The two spent the next three nights locked up in the hive enjoying only each other's company. They had gone completely off the grid to all of their friends. They would spend the days playing video games or watching movies together or cuddled up together in some room of the hive either talking about everything or just enjoying each other's company. What they spent the most time doing was making love to each other. The two would only leave their respite block to do anything else when they felt too exhausted to keep pailing.

Finally on the third night, as they were cuddled up together on the couch naked Eridan figured they should probably contact their friends to let them know they were still alive.

"I'm sure Ara an' Kar are probably worried sick about you," Eridan sighed while he ran his fingers over every inch of Sollux's skin that he could reach. He was situated between Sollux's legs with his back lying against the warmer troll's chest. Sollux's hands rested on top of Eridan's belly.

"Yeah probably," Sollux agreed noncommittally. Even as he spoke, Eridan could feel the lower blooded troll's bulges squirming back to life against his lower back. A shiver ran down his spine as he thought about how much he loved having those bulges inside him, but he knew they should probably ease up on the pailing.

"I need to go run an errand anyway," Eridan said as he reluctantly slid away from the warmth of the troll behind him. Sollux whined at the loss of contact.

"What errand?" the psionic asked anxiously.

"I need to go to Kan's to try on those clothes," Eridan answered when he had finally managed to stand up from the couch. He was beginning to get irritated at the fact that it took much more effort to get up from anything now that he had a large belly in the way. One look at Sollux and Eridan could tell that he wasn't happy about him going out on his own. The sea troll rolled his violet eyes.

"Sol, you never used to give two shits about where I went an' now it's become this huge ordeal," Eridan commented irritably. "It's gettin' fuckin' annoyin'." Sollux's frown deepened.

"That wath before," the double horned troll eyed the high blood critically.

"Before what? Before you knocked me up then decided to never let me out a' your sight again?" Eridan said angrily. "I mean, I love you Sol, but you are just short of standin' there holdin' my hand when I take a piss." Sollux rose from the couch to be at eye level with Eridan.

"That'th not my fault!" he spat. "It'th all you and your fucking thmell that driveth me up the wall!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you said my pheromones didn't affect you," Eridan said facetiously.

"Well gueth what ath hole? I lied!" Sollux shouted. Under normal circumstances, Sollux would've become physical with the sea dweller by this point in an argument but he didn't dare try to hurt him while pregnant. Sollux was surprised when he heard the troll in front of him laughing.

"What fuckin' quadrant are we even?" Eridan asked with a smile.

"We've already had thith dithcuthion and we're red fithdick," Sollux answered irritably.

"Hm. I say we're both," Eridan said thoughtfully.

"We can't be both, ED," Sollux sighed. "We dethided almotht two sweeps ago that we were going to be red."

"I don't want anyone else, Sollux. I only want you," Eridan said with such sincerity it was almost heartbreaking. The Gemini stood silent for a moment, almost afraid to speak the truth that they had both been ignoring for a very long time.

"I feel the thame," he finally admitted quietly, his words joining Eridan's hanging in the air between them as a tangible taboo. "But the droneth-," Sollux began to argue but Eridan cut him off before he could finish his thought.

"If Fef becomes empress you know she'll change that an' we'll be safe," the sea troll said optimistically.

"Yeah, 'if'," Sollux repeated the word darkly. Eridan furrowed his brow.

"She's a lot stronger than she lets on, you know. Plus, she's been trainin' for it for ages. When the time comes I'm sure she'll give the Condesce a run for her money," Eridan assured. No one really liked to think about the fact that while their lives carried on as usual, Feferi was spending her days preparing for an inevitable fight to the death with the Condesce. Whichever troll survived would be the ruler of Alternia.

Sollux decided that this was not a topic he wanted to discuss at the moment. "Go to GA'th hive," he sighed, leaning in to peck Eridan on the lips. "I'll message KK and AA to let them know I didn't die." The sea dweller returned the chaste kiss before heading off to the ablution block to wash up.

Once Eridan was out of the shower he couldn't keep the scowl off his face as he stepped into the horrible sweatpants that were the bane of his existence. His favorite long sleeved black sweater that bore his symbol was too tight in the stomach area and rode up a bit to reveal the stretched grey skin underneath. He made up his mind to fasten his cape around himself to conceal his body. He stuck his head into the office to tell Sollux he was leaving which somehow led to an impromptu dry humping session against the wall. Eridan was able to pull himself away before he completely lost control of his senses.

"I'll be back in a few hours," the Aquarius panted. Sollux kept placing kisses along his jaw. "I get the feelin' we will be pickin' up where we left off when I get back," he added, thinking back to the last time he came home from Kanaya's hive. Sollux gave a frustrated groan as Eridan separated himself from him.

"You are correct with your feeling," the Gemini replied with a husky voice. Eridan felt heat shoot through his body at the other's suggestiveness but willed himself to remain in control.

"Bye Sol," he said. Sollux appeared conflicted before marching himself back over to his desk where two Trollian conversations were waiting on him.

"Bye," he replied without looking back. His voice was tense. At least his was trying to be okay with Eridan leaving.

It didn't take very long for Eridan to arrive at the jade blood's hive. He knocked on the door and waited. He had his cape drawn tightly around himself to completely conceal his egg bump and was feeling just a bit paranoid.

"Come in, it is unlocked!" he heard Kanaya call from within the hive. He let himself in but didn't see and any sign of his fashionable friend. "I will be with you shortly I am just finishing up a project," she said from another room.

The Virgo had no idea who would be visiting her out of the blue but once she put down the needle and thread she had been working with she thought she could smell a familiar troll. As she made her way to the foyer where her visitor waited the smell became strong enough that she could recognize it as one of her friends.

"Sollux? Is that you? This certainly is unexpected," Kanaya called out but as soon as she rounded the corner she was not met by the double horned psionic troll. Instead she was greeted by the sight of a very pregnant high blooded sea troll that had a look on his face like she had just run him through with her chainsaw. "It is him. Sollux is your matesprit," she stated quietly almost in awe. She remembered back when they were all younger when the Aquarius and the Gemini were the most perfectly matched kismesises. The two were absolutely perfect for each other until out of nowhere they inexplicably broke up and quit speaking to one another. Unless, "The two of you vacillated," she concluded out loud.

"Please Kan, don't say anythin' about this to anyone!" Eridan pleaded desperately. The jade blood lifted a brow at the panic stricken troll in front of her.

"Eridan, I already know that you are gravid yet I have not told a soul. Do you honestly think I would begin to betray you now?" she teased. "Come on. Let us get you out of those atrocious sweat pants," she said as she made to go the direction she had come from. Eridan followed her anxiously.

"How did you know?" he asked once they had entered a room dedicated entirely to fabrics, manikins, and sewing equipment.

"Your pheromones must really be working well on him because heh as utterly marked you as his own," she answered with an amused smile as she gathered up various garments. "Try these on and let me know what you think." She handed him a small stack of clothing and directed him to a separate block for him to change in. He blushed a dark violet color as he took the clothes and went to change.

"Are you goin' to Rezi's wrigglin' day party?" he asked from behind the closed door.

"Yes I do plan on attending. What about you?" Kanaya called back. Eridan emerged from the other room wearing an outfit that was nearly identical to his favorite black shirt and striped pants, only modified to fit his stomach better.

"I didn't want to go because a' this," he motioned to his stomach, "but Sol is makin' me go because he has to." Kanaya was hovering around him checking the fit of the clothing as he spoke. "This looks amazin' Kan. It's so much more comfortable too." Kanaya tried not to look too pleased with herself over the compliments on her work.

"I am glad you like it," she smiled. "The others should fit just fine then. I could probably find a way to disguise your pregnancy with your clothing for the party," she mused.

"That would be great," Eridan said with relief. "Have you found out any more information on this whole situation?" he inquired. Kanaya shook her head.

"Nothing new I am afraid. I will let you know as soon as I do discover something. I am curious as to whether we can attempt to determine how many there are by palpation once you have reached your third or fourth month," the jade blood added in curiosity.

"Shit that just reminds me that I only have a month and a half left before I'm goin' to be layin' these things," Eridan moaned and placed a hand over his stomach. "You'll be there, right?" he asked somewhat nervously.

"Of course I will be there," she assured with her eyes sparkling in excitement. Eridan gave a small smile.

"I'd better get back. Sol hates it when I'm away from him for more than five seconds now," he told the female troll as he gathered up his things. "These better be some healthy eggs because they are gettin' the fuck fertilized out a' them," he added making Kanaya giggle.

"I am sure they will be brimming with health and would love to hear the tale of how their bearer conquered all of the land dwellers by procreating with one," Kanaya laughed. Eridan was caught off guard by her jab and couldn't help but laugh too.

"Oh shut up!" he smiled. He bid his friend farewell before setting off for home. Just as expected, as soon as the door was shut behind him when he arrived home he had a half naked yellow blood attached to him at the mouth. He hated to admit it, but Sollux's new possessive behavior was one of the hottest things he had ever seen.


	6. Chapter 6

Sollux knocked on the door to the hive and the two trolls waited in ominous silence. Eridan fidgeted with the hem of the cape he wore strategically draped over the left side of his body. Kanaya had advised him on exactly what to wear in order to best conceal his pregnant stomach. The stretchy waistband of his pants was covered by his somewhat loose fitting shirt which had another shirt layered underneath. The entire ensemble was completed with the royal purple cape worn to the side like a great conqueror would wear for his portrait. Layers, Kanaya had told him, were the key.

In the last moments before anyone came to the door to greet them, Sollux reached out and grabbed Eridan's hand to give it a final squeeze. Eridan could hear the deep inhale and exhale from his matesprit as he attempted to mentally prepare himself for the next few hours. It was going to be difficult for the yellow blood to not only have no physical contact with the sea dweller but also have to try his best to act like he wanted nothing to do with him. Eridan gave Sollux's hand a squeeze back and the two released their hold on each other right before the door finally swung open to reveal their short, stubby horned friend. Karkat seemed t notice Sollux first.

"It's about fucking time you showed up," the Cancer complained before realizing that Sollux wasn't alone. He turned his attention to the high blood and narrowed his eyes. "You smell really fucking weird."

Both Sollux and Eridan began to panic but luckily Eridan was able to think up a decent response. "Oh thanks Kar, it's nice to see you too," he replied sarcastically.

"Did you two come together?" the Cancer asked in confusion.

"Fuck no," Sollux said. "We jutht ended up on the thame public four wheel tranthportation devithe." He feigned disgust at having to be anywhere near the violet blood.

"Oh," was all Karkat replied, seemingly already bored with the subject. "Well get in here." Karkat stepped back and opened the door wider for his two guests to enter. "Everyone else is already here."

As soon as they stepped inside Sollux noticed Aradia waving to him and made his way over to her. Eridan was unsure of what to do without Sollux's presence nearby so he made his way over to the refreshment table. He really had developed quite a thirst recently due to the growing eggs.

Eridan stood by the table anxiously sipping his drink. He really hoped his layers of clothing hid his stomach well enough. He made eye contact with Kanaya from across the room and she made her way over to him.

"Are you well, Eridan?" she inquired with a bit of concern.

"What if they can see it? What if they know? Kar already mentioned somethin' to me about my scent bein' off," Eridan rambled. Kanaya patted his shoulder for comfort.

"Relax. I am certain they will not see. If I did not already know I would not be able to tell. The layers really worked out nicely," the jade blood assured him.

"Thanks, Kan," Eridan sighed. The two chatted about various things for a little while until Feferi approached them.

"Hey you guys!" she greeted happily. "It's so great that we were all able to get together like this."

"Yes it is a rare treat to see everyone gathered together for one occasion," Kanaya agreed. Suddenly Feferi looked slightly confused and she blinked her large fuchsia eyes a few times.

"What is that strange smell?" she asked in wonder. Eridan froze up and glanced at Kanaya for help.

"I am not certain that I smell anything," Kanaya lied smoothly. Feferi leaned forward and sniffed at the air.

"It smells like it is coming from you Eridan!" she said in surprise.

"Me?" he asked as calmly as possible.

"Yes!" the Piscies confirmed. "I'm not sure what it is and honestly I'm not sure what to make of it. It makes me feel kinda strange." It was silent for a moment between the three trolls before Kanaya decided to speak up.

"That is quite peculiar. Feferi, didn't you mention that you had expanded your cuttlefish collection recently?" The topic was smoothly changed and the female sea dweller's attention was successfully diverted.

Aradia had settled with Sollux on the couch and was attempting to get him up to speed with the current happenings in her life. He was trying to enjoy the time spent with his moirail but couldn't stop glancing over her shoulder at Eridan standing by the refreshment table. Luckily, the Aries hadn't noticed her moirail's divided attention, but the longer Feferi stood chatting with her fellow sea troll the longer Sollux's gaze lingered on the two and the more he felt his anger rising.

Everyone knew that back when they were all much younger Eridan had harbored red feelings for this then moirail, Feferi. When he finally worked up the nerve to tell her how he felt she rejected him and confessed that she was red for Sollux instead. Eridan felt so heartbroken and betrayed that he became bitter and pushed Feferi's moirailegence away, instead preferring to sulk in the solitude of his childhood shipwreck hive. Sollux and Feferi briefly filled each other's red quadrants which added fuel to the kissmesitude he would later have with Eridan.

Under normal circumstances, Sollux wouldn't care one way or another if Eridan talked to Feferi at a party. The circumstances were currently far from normal and under the influence of Eridan's pregnancy pheromones Sollux couldn't stand the sight of someone else standing that close to _his_ matesprit, talking and laughing with _his_ matesprit, touching the arm of _his_ matesprit who was carrying _his _eggs.

Aradia stopped herself mid sentence when she realized Sollux wasn't paying an ounce of attention to what she was saying and followed his angry stare over her shoulder to see Eridan and Feferi standing near the punch bowl. She smiled, happy for the two former moirails having a chance to catch up with each other, and turned back to Sollux. "They sure seem to have a lot to 'glub' about," she giggled while using the fish pun to refer to the two sea trolls.

" Yeah, apparently," Sollux responded tensely. Aradia was caught off guard by how angry her moirail was getting and glanced back at the two trolls by the punch bowl for a moment to consider the situation. It was her moirail's ex matesprit talking to his ex kismesis. "You don't really like Eridan talking to Feferi do you?" she asked as she turned back around to the Gemini. "Sollux!" she exclaimed in shock. "Calm down you're sparking!" The rust blood scooted forward on the couch to attempt to shoosh pap the angry troll in front of her. Sure enough, once she had said something about it, Sollux became aware that his vision was becoming obscured by the crackling of his psionics.

"Excuthe me for a moment," he said while shrugging out of Aradia's grasp and reigning in his powers. He stood abruptly from the couch and made his way towards the two royal bloods.

"Hey what are we talking about over here, hmm? Thure theems interethting," Sollux chimed in almost hysterically as he inserted himself between the two and forcefully joined their conversation. Eridan seemed almost mortified while Feferi paused at the unusual interruption with an uncertain smile on her face. Aradia sat on the couch watching her moirail's odd behavior in a state of confusion. The whole scene had briefly turned the heads of nearby trolls, mainly because Sollux was not usually the one to act crazy over his ex quadrantmates.

"We were just reminiscing about old times when we were wrigglers," Feferi informed the double horned troll that now stood between herself and Eridan. "We reely used to be inseparabubble," she giggled. Eridan forced a smile in order to keep up appearances and pretended not to notice how Sollux was subtly bumping him with his hip to scoot him farther away from the tyrian blooded troll.

"Well that mutht've been fun," Sollux added facetiously. Eridan was glaring daggers at him and Feferi was beginning to pick up on the somewhat hostile vibes Sollux was putting out.

"Yeah it was," she laughed nervously. "Well, I'm going to go say hi to the wriggling day girl. It was nice glubbing with you Eridan," she had to call over Sollux's shoulder, considering the taller troll was now almost completely blocking the other sea dweller from view.

"You too, Fef!" Eridan called back. Sollux turned back to face Eridan satisfied that he had gotten the other troll away from his matesprit, and by extension, his eggs. Eridan gave Sollux as look of disbelief. Before anything could be said between the two Kanaya approached them.

"Could I get you two's opinion on something for a moment?" the jade blood announced once she was in front of them. They both look at her questioningly before she hauled them off down a hallway and into an empty room. As soon as the door was closed behind them Eridan turned to the other male troll and glared at him.

"What the fuck was that, pissblood?" Eridan hissed harshly. Sollux glared back at his matesprit but he knew the other troll was livid. Ever since they had become red with each other Eridan only reserved serious insults for when Sollux pissed him off big time. He hadn't had his blood color insulted in sweeps. The Gemini remained silent, unable to justify his actions.

"Why don't you just go ahead and announce to everyone that we are together while you're busy actin' like a complete fuckin' asshole?" the violet blood persisted. The room fell silent. Sollux glanced over at Kanaya silently standing by the door.

"I gueth I shouldn't be thurprithed that she knowth," he mumbled while nodding his head in her direction.

"Yes I do know," Kanaya spoke up, leaving the door to walk closer to the psionic. "It may be because I know that I am extra perceptive to any interactions between you two, and I must say that if things continue down the path they are heading you may have no choice but to come clean about this clandestine relationship." The jade blood placed a hand on Sollux's arm for reassurance.

"You guyth have no fucking idea how hard thith ith for me," Sollux groaned. He looked at Kanaya with a pleading look on his face. "When he layth the eggth will my think pan go back to normal? I mean, ath normal ath it geth for me with the voiceth and all. It ith tho hard dealing with all thethe feelingth of paranoia that I have to protect him from thome thort of danger that ithn't even there," he admitted.

"Yes the pheromones should wear off once the eggs have been laid," Kanaya answered softly. "I know it must be difficult right now but if you could just," she stifled a giggle, "placate your metaphorical heft sacks." Sollux gave her a quizzical look before glancing over at Eridan for an explanation.

"She means calm your tits, Sol," the Aquarius explained in an almost bored tone. His anger had left him and now he was beginning to feel a bit antsy about someone noticing they were missing. "Come on you guys before someone notices somethin's up," he urged. Sollux approached him with a smirk.

"I have to at leatht take a little advantage of thith opportunity," he waggled his thick eyebrows over his anaglyph glasses to which Eridan rolled his eyes. Sollux swooped down and placed a kiss on the violet blood's cool lips as his hands slipped under the Aquarius's shirt to feel the roundness of his stomach. Sollux could never resist placing his hands there as reassurance that , yes, Eridan was still pregnant with his eggs.

"Couldn't you jutht maybe wear my jacket or let me bite you or thomething?" Sollux muttered once he broke the kiss.

"What the fuck for?" Eridan asked irritably.

"Jutht tho they know you're mine," Sollux whispered against his lips before kissing them again.

"For fuck's sake, Sol," Eridan gasped while breaking the kiss. "The whole point is for 'em not to know we're together. Besides, I already wear your ring if that wasn't a dead giveaway an' accordin' to Kan you've basically permanently marked me with your scent." Sollux looked at the sea troll's hand to see the half yellow, half violet gemstone proudly on display on his left ring finger. "Not to mention that puttin' your hideous jacket on would probably ruin the effect of these strategically placed layers which are concealin' the fact that _you_ knocked me up," he added in mock annoyance.

Sollux grinned which showed off his large double sets of fangs and lifted Eridan's shirts up to expose his belly. The violet blood yelped in protest but his matesprit ducked his head down and blew a raspberry on the exposed skin causing the other troll to laugh wildly. Kanaya giggled at the two males' antics. They really should get back to the party before anyone noticed them missing but first there was one thing she wanted to do. She approached the other two silently with her eyes on Eridan's exposed stomach in curiosity.

"Pardon me," she cleared her throat. Eridan and Sollux paused their horseplay to look at her. "Do you mind if I…?" she asked while nodding towards Eridan's abdomen. Sollux stepped back hesitantly, still finding it difficult to let other trolls near his matesprit, especially when their sole intent is to touch where his eggs were.

Kanaya crouched down to get a better view and Sollux took deep breaths as he watched her every move. Eridan looked on curiously as she reached out a hand and brushed her fingertips along a pregnant troll's belly for the first time. A low growl bubbled up from Sollux's throat without him meaning to and Kanaya glanced at him to see that psionics were once again crackling around his glasses.

"It's okay, Sol," Eridan soothed while reaching out to grab his matesprit's bony hand. The contact immediately calmed him. "You need to get used to her bein' around me because she's goin' to be there when I lay the eggs," Eridan informed him. Sollux bristled a bit but said nothing as Kanaya resumed her exploration. She brought her other hand up and applied gentle pressure with her fingers as she felt around.

"That feels weird" Eridan frowned at the odd sensation. Suddenly Kanaya gasped and froze her movements.

"I can feel one," she whispered in astonishment. Sollux immediately perked up.

"Theriouthly?" he asked excitedly. Eridan looked back and forth between his matesprit and the top of the jade blood's head that was crouched in front of him.

"It is a definite lump," Kanaya explained as Sollux knelt down beside her and she took his hand to guide it to where she felt the egg. The Gemini gently pressed his fingers into the area his hand had been positioned. Indeed, his fingertips felt a round-ish lump underneath Eridan's flesh. He tilted his head back to look directly into Eridan's curious violet eyes. His glasses concealed the glimmer the yellow blood had in his own eyes so he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the cool skin that his lips were so familiar with.

"We need to get back out there," Sollux said once he had stood back up and collected himself.

"Agreed," Kanaya said as he brushed the wrinkles out of her skirt. "In another month I will try to feel your stomach again," she told Eridan with a smile. "I could not feel any others but they could be positioned in an odd way. Then again, they are still developing."

"That would be great, Kan," Eridan smiled at her appreciatively.

"It would be helpful if we could know how many we are expecting once you start to lay them," she added.

"Think you can control yourself this time?" Eridan teased the Gemini once they reached the door.

"I'll try," he stuck his forked tongue out at the violet blood before reaching over to straighten out the cape hanging over the other's shoulder to make sure everything was hidden. The three left the room and rejoined the party without a hitch. The only person who would've noticed them missing was Aradia but she had been otherwise occupied while they had slipped away.

The Aries had been so puzzled by her moirail's strange behavior that when she finally had an idea as to a reason behind it she immediately rushed off to find Nepeta. She never even saw Feferi leave the conversation. Aradia found the olive blood chatting with her long-time moirail Equius.

"Nepeta!" Aradia caught the other girl's attention. She grabbed her arm and looked at her with wide eyes. "I think you were right about Sollux!" she said breathlessly. Nepeta blinked at Aradia in confusion and glanced over to Equius who simply shrugged.

"I was?" Nepeta finally asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Yes!" Aradia continued staring the other girl down hoping she would catch on but had no such luck. "About him being red for Feferi?" the rust blood supplied as if it should have been obvious from the start.

"Oh!" the Leo squealed in realization. "Really?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes!" Aradia repeated, glad they were now on the same page. Equius sighed once he realized his moirail was about to launch into another shipping discussion.

"If you ladies would excuse me, I am going to fetch a refreshment," he informed them before extracting himself from the conversation.

"Yeah, sure," Nepeta responded distractedly before turning her full attention back to the female troll in front of her. "So what happenend?" she demanded eagerly.

"Well, I was sitting on the couch talking to Sollux earlier and he kept looking at something behind me, but I knew the only people behind me were just Kanaya and Eridan talking," Aradia explained.

"Mmhmm," Nepeta hummed.

"Eventually he got so angry that his eyes were literally sparking so I turned around to see what was happening and it was Eridan talking to Feferi. Kanaya wasn't there, just those two alone."

"Oh, juicy!" Nepeta giggled.

"Here's where it gets even more juicy," Araida teased. "Sollux actually left me on the couch to go butt into their conversation. And where does he place himself? Right in between the two to get Eridan away from Feferi," Aradia said. Nepeta gasped.

"Well, Sollux and Feferi were red for each other all those sweeps ago," the olive blood stated. "And of course Eridan used to be red for her too. Maybe Sollux still has feelings for her and didn't want to risk Eridan having a second chance at winning her over," she reasoned.

"Do you think we should help set them up?" Aradia asked furtively.

"Help set up the socially inept loser with the fish girl whose sole purpose in life is to have a fight to the death to become empress?" Vriska chimed in from a couple of feet to their left. She approached the other two trolls with a devious smirk on her face. "Why not? I don't see _anything_ wrong with that scenario at all," she added sarcastically and cackled.


	7. Chapter 7

"Oh, I didn't realize you could hear us," Aradia admitted almost embarrassed.

"There's nothing more shrill than a couple of fangirls gossiping," Vriska sneered before collecting herself into a more aloof posture. "Besides, I was practically standing right next to the two of you the entire time," she said as she flipped her long hair nonchalantly over her shoulder.

"So you think it's a good idea to get Sollux and Feferi together?" Nepeta asked gingerly.

"I mean, the evidence is all right there," Aradia affirmed. "There's definitely something up with Sollux."

"Oh definitely," Vriska goaded, "you two should totally go for it." Aradia beamed at her co- conspirator.

"After the party we'll start drafting some plans," the Aries said excitedly. The cerulean blood pouted.

"Why make the lonely freak wait any longer for true redrom than he already has? I say you should get started now!" Vriska reasoned. The other two girls looked a bit reluctant.

"I don't know it's so sudden. Where would we even start?" Nepeta wondered. Vriska flashed her fangy grin, a mischievous glint returning to her eyes.

"You're two smart girls. I'm sure you'll think of something," she replied slyly.

"Alright, Operation Redrom is now underway," Aradia announced enthusiastically.

"Thanks Vriska," Nepeta called as the two set off to scheme up some ideas.

"No problem," Vriska answered falsely sweet before turning away laughing maniacally to herself. "Finally this lame party is about to get interesting," she muttered as she found a good spot to settle in order to watch the chaos unfold.

Not too long after Sollux, Eridan, and Kanaya discreetly rejoined the party, the yellow blood was being flagged down by their short-tempered host.

"Hey Sollux, we're starting a video game tournament over here. You in?" Karkat hollered from across the room. The Gemini felt himself relax a fraction at the thought of having something to distract his mind from constantly worrying about his matesprit. He surreptitiously glanced back at the violet blood regardless, silently checking to make sure it would be okay. The sea troll rolled his eyes back at him with a slight smile on his lips before nodding his consent.

"Fuck yeth I'm in," Sollux grinned as he headed over to where Karkat and Terezi were seated on the couch, controllers in hand, as they began the first round. Several of the other party attendees were also gathered around to watch the battles take place.

"You can play the winner," Karkat informed him once he reached the couch. "Which of course means you'll be playing me after I hand Terezi's perfectly plush rump to her on a silver dining device by the end of this round," the Cancer gloated.

"As much as I enjoy your flattery, Karkles, you are going down," Terezi laughed as she viciously mashed the buttons on her controller.

"You can't even fucking see what you're doing!" Karkat cried as he stared the game down on the screen in front of him.

"Aw, Karkat, your words wound me," the teal blood pouted dramatically before suddenly delivering the winning move. Her shrill victory cackle nearly drowned out the tirade her stunned matesprit launched into immediately following her win.

As Sollux took his seat next to Terezi on the couch, Eridan decided to return to the refreshment table for another cup of water. He passed by Gamzee on the way and the juggalo seemed to follow him to his destination.

"Hey there Eribro," the purple blood greeted. Eridan flinched in surprise and nearly dropped the cup he had just filled.

"Oh, hey Gam. You snuck up on me there," the sea dweller answered quietly.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to all up and motherfuckin' startle you, brother." Even though the Capricorn was in a sopor induced stupor there was an unfamiliar glint in his purple eyes. Eridan was suddenly aware of how close the other troll had gotten to him. Something about the other high blood's demeanor seemed off.

"You smell kinda different, motherfucker," Gamzee commented. "It just don't smell right. Kinda like all vulnerable or some shit."

"Oh, really? Well that's weird," Eridan said, slowly backing away to put a few more inches between himself and the other troll. Gamzee's normally dormant instincts seemed to be filtering to the surface of his inebriation. Eridan realized he was reacting to the pheromones. It seemed that no matter how much Eridan backed away from the painted troll the distance between the two remained the same- too close. Pretty soon the violet blood would have his back against the wall and nowhere else to go.

"I just can't motherfuckin' decide what to do with all these feelings I've got trapped up inside me right now," Gamzee continued. His voice still retained his usual airy demeanor but it held a dark undertone to it.

Eridan's back finally pressed against the wall behind him and he glanced frantically around the room. Sollux was still on the couch completely absorbed in his match against Terezi and Kanaya was nowhere to be seen. It took every ounce of self control in his body to not place his hands protectively over his stomach. He wanted to sass the other troll back but was terrified of starting a physical confrontation and putting his eggs at risk. He wasn't sure what else to do. Should he call out for Sollux? Should he just call out in general to bring attention to the situation and get Gamzee distracted?

"You're my motherfuckin' friend, Eribro, but something just tells me to all up and wrap my hands around your fuckin' neck and squeeze until all the miraculous life leaves your body," Gamzee said as casually as if he was commenting on the assortment of foods at the party. The clown nearly had his body against the sea dweller's. Eridan felt his blood pusher speed up and his blood turn even icier than normal. Gamzee offered him a lazy grin that appeared deranged at such close proximity. This is was it, he needed to call for help. He took a deep breath.

"Uh, Gamzee?" Tavros's squeaky voice came from behind the purple blood. The troll in question stepped away from Eridan to turn to the troll in the wheelchair. "What are you doing?" Tavros questioned with uncertainty in his voice.

"Just chattin' with my fishy brother," Gamzee answered seemingly back to normal.

"Oh okay. I'm going to go join the video game tournament. Do you, uh, maybe want to watch?" the low blood asked innocently.

"Sure Tavbro," Gamzee said happily and left Eridan with his back against the wall as if nothing had even happened.

Eridan released the breath he didn't realize he was still holding and placed his trembling hands over his stomach not caring about anything else at the moment. He wished he could have Sollux by his side right then but he knew they had to keep up appearances and remain distant from each other. Not to mention the fact that he was involved in that video game tournament which meant he was going to be occupied for a while. Eridan decided to do the next best thing and silently retreated back to the block that Kanaya had pulled him away to earlier.

Sollux's video game playing presented the perfect distraction that a certain rust blood needed in order to talk to Feferi without him noticing. The royal blooded troll was observing the tournament from a distance when Aradia approached her.

"He's pretty good, isn't he?" the Aries said conversationally. Feferi turned to smile at the other troll.

"Oh yes, he's always been fintastic when it comes to gaming," she agreed.

"Yeah, he's a pretty great guy," Aradia responded lamely not really knowing what she was doing with the conversation. "He's my moirail," she decided to add.

"Reely? Congrats," Feferi commended earnestly. She was beginning to wonder where the conversation was headed herself.

"Thanks," the rust blood said politely before deciding that she was just going to get right to the point. "He still has feelings for you. Just thought you should know." Feferi looked over at her with shock written all over her face.

"He does?" she asked incredulously. It had been so long since they had broken up, they were really just kids when they had been together.

"I'm his moirail. I know these things," Aradia grinned and tapped her temple thoughtfully. "Do you still feel anything for him?" she asked innocently.

"Oh my," Feferi was still stunned. "I'm not shore. He is reely great and handsome." The fishy princess blushed at her own honesty. "I just don't know if I could even handle any quadrants right now," she said almost sadly.

"Maybe you should try giving him another shot," Aradia suggested. "You must get awful lonely with no quadrantmates."

"It does get lonely sometimes," the sea dweller admitted wistfully. Aradia could tell that Feferi had taken the bait and it was now time to move on.

"Well, it's up to you really. I was just putting the idea out there," the Aries shrugged noncommittally. "It was nice chatting with you, Feferi."

"Oh you too," Feferi called as the other troll waved and moved on to a different part of the room. The tyrian blood glanced back over to the couch where she had last seen the yellow blood. She couldn't even remember why they had parted ways in the first place. The psionic was no longer seated in front of the television which had Feferi scanning over her surroundings in an attempt at locating the missing troll. She finally spotted him leaving the meal block eating a handful of chips from the bag he was holding. She approached him with a smile on her face.

"Hi," she greeted cheerfully. The Gemini looked over at her with a mouthful of chips and nodded his head in greeting. He attempted to finish chewing quickly enough to give her a proper greeting.

"Hey FF," he finally said once he had swallowed. The Pisces giggled back at him which made him raise an eyebrow at her but otherwise he remained silent.

"Sorry we didn't get a chance to talk much earlier," she said with a smile. Sollux was regretfully reminded of how ridiculously possessive he was being over Eridan when he first spoke with the princess at the party. Luckily, it didn't seem like she noticed his behavior. Now that his mind had brought up his matesprit he was beginning to wonder where he went. He couldn't smell the other troll at all in the same room as him. He thought he could faintly pick up the scent a little farther off, perhaps Eridan was using the load gaper.

"What have you been up to?" Feferi asked, snapping Sollux's attention back to the conversation he was supposed to be participating in.

"Not much. Jutht coding and gaming," he answered evenly. He dug down into his bag of chips and popped a few more into his mouth as he added on to his answer in his head, 'Reproducing.'

"I'm surprised you aren't still playing in the tournament," the sea troll commented.

"I got hungry," Sollux shrugged.

"You know we don't stay in touch nearly as much as we used to," Feferi pouted. "We should chat on Trollian more or maybe hang out some time," she suggested.

"Well we're both pretty buthy," Sollux reasoned. "But yeah I gueth if you want." The yellow blood was completely oblivious to all of Feferi's flirtatious hints. Eridan had finally calmed down enough to rejoin the party. He noticed Aradia and Nepeta hanging back from the rest of the group as he approached the opening of the hallway.

"Feferi's totally flirting with Sollux hardcore," Nepeta giggled as she and Aradia watched the two from a safe distance.

"Why is Fef flirtin' with Sol?" Eridan asked from behind the two girls, causing them to jump slightly in surprise. They calmed down immediately when they realized who it was.

"We're trying to set up Sollux and Feferi!" Nepeta announced excitedly. Eridan lifted a brow at her in amusement.

"You are?" he asked. "Why would you two do that?"

"Because Sollux has a flush crush on Feferi," Aradia explained. Eridan couldn't stifle the laugh that bubbled up his throat. The two girls looked at him critically.

"Sorry but that's just not fuckin' true," the violet blood laughed again. "Where did you even get that from?"

"Well, from Sollux," Aradia said a bit flustered. Eridan scoffed.

"I seriously doubt that," he interjected haughtily.

"How would you even know, Eridan?" Nepeta questioned skeptically.

"That's neither here nor there," he waved his hand dismissively. "The point is that Sol is not red for Fef."

"Whatever you say, Eridan," the Leo rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to Feferi's failing flirtatious advances. The violet blood scoffed before brushing passed the two peeping trolls to make his way into the main room. He had his sights set on heading to the meal block to find something a bit more substantial than the small finger foods that had been set out for the party.

Eridan strode across the living room with his head held high and even managed to not give Sollux a second glance when he walked right passed him to enter the meal block. As soon as he stepped foot over the thresh hold he froze in place when he noticed Gamzee staring into the refrigerator. A wave of panic washed over the Aquarius and he immediately turned back around to abscond. Sollux didn't miss the quick change in the sea dweller's demeanor.

"Hey ED what'th wrong?" the Gemini asked, not even noticing that he was cutting off Feferi's story about some colorful sea creatures. The fuchsia blood looked surprised by the sudden interruption. Eridan froze and kept his eyes on the floor.

"Nothin' Sol," the violet blood responded quietly but his matesprit wasn't buying it.

"Eridan," Sollux repeated sternly, "what'th wrong?"

"Nothin'. Everythin's fine," Eridan fidgeted with his scarf and hoped that the yellow blood would let the subject drop. He knew if he told Sollux about what happened with Gamzee the psionic was likely to cause a scene.

Aradia and Nepeta were starting to become confused as they continued observing Sollux's interactions from a safe distance.

"What is happening right now?" the Aries demanded.

"I have no idea," Nepeta answered anxiously as she strained to catch the words exchanged by the trolls they were spying on. "I can't hear what they're saying but Sollux is completely ignoring Feferi," she huffed.

"Yeah I noticed that," Aradia nodded. "Eridan looks terrified and Sollux looks pissed. Do you think they're back in blackrom or something?" she asked curiously.

"Nah, if they were Eridan wouldn't look so scared right now," Nepeta explained. "I don't even know what is going on." The Leo glanced around the room to see if anyone else had noticed the scene that was taking place. Her eyes landed on Vriska seated not too far from Feferi. The cerulean blood looked as if she was watching her favorite soap opera and had a wicked grin plastered on her face.

Eridan tried to walk away from Sollux but the yellow blood reached out and caught his wrist. Feferi look around anxiously.

"Um, Sollux?" she tried unsuccessfully to get the other troll's attention. Sollux stepped closer to Eridan, all of his attention on the violet blood.

"Eridan, I know thomething ith wrong," Sollux said quietly. "Jutht tell me what happened," he soothed. Eridan finally looked up from the floor.

"Sol you have to promise you won't start some shit," Eridan pleaded even though he knew it was useless.

"I can't promithe you that," Sollux replied feeling a bit uneasy. Eridan frowned but took a deep breath through his nose anyway.

"Earlier Gam kinda cornered me and was actin' creepy and altogether unsettlin'. He was probably just actin' out of his instincts or whatever but I've got to say I was gettin' pretty scared," the sea dweller confessed. "I think he even threatened to strangle me," he added under his breath. To say that Sollux looked livid would be an understatement. Eridan looked away awkwardly because he knew what was coming next.

"This doesn't look very good," Aradia whispered to Nepeta, the worry evident in her voice. Nepeta glanced around the room again. Vriska looked as though Twelfth Perigee's Eve had come early. There was now one more spectator. Kanaya was wringing her hands nervously and looked as though she was caught between whether she should intervene or let the events play out. Feferi was looking back and forth between the two males trying to get a clue as to what was happening.

In a matter of seconds Sollux was storming into the meal block where he figured Gamzee must be since Eridan looked so frightened after leaving that room not too long ago. As soon as he spotted the juggalo he had him in a psionic hold and slammed him back against the refrigerator he had been standing in front of. Gamzee looked a bit confused for a moment before realizing who had entered the room.

"Hey there Solbro," he greeted lazily as he seemed completely oblivious to the psionics restraining him. The commotion had caught everyone's attention and Karkat made his way to the meal block to see what was going on.

"What in the bulge sucking-," the Cancer began muttering to himself but was stopped short by the scene he walked in on.

"Lithen up shit fathe becauthe thith ith the only warning you're getting," Sollux hissed. His eyes were sparking and his psionic grip tightened involuntarily. "Thtay the fuck away from my matethprit! You got that? If you go anywhere near him and my gr- quadranth again I will fucking end you, you unholy piethe of shit!" He slammed Gamzee back against the fridge again for good measure but still didn't let his hold waver. There was no way anyone present at the party couldn't hear what was going on. Everyone had gone deathly silent.

"No problem, bro," Gamzee responded still unphased by the rough treatment he was receiving. "Now who the fuck is your matesprit?" he asked in confusion. Sollux growled in frustration.

"Eridan you ath hole! Eridan ith my matethprit and you'd better thtay the fuck away from him!" The violet blood was suddenly aware of nearly all eyes on him.

"No problem, motherfucker," Gamzee assured. Sollux let out another frustrated growl as he released his hold on the intoxicated troll and began storming back out of the meal block. Gamzee stumbled forward slightly but quickly regained his balance. Karkat finally broke the silence.

"Hold up here just a mother fucking second," he fumed as he followed Sollux into the other room. "Since when are you and fish face matesprits?"

"Thith ith not up for dithcuthion right now KK," Sollux warned as he rejoined Eridan's side and took his hand. "We'll talk about it later. Right now ED and I are going home."

"Wait, no, what? You guys live together too?" Karkat shouted. "How long has this been going on?" demanded the shorter troll.

"We'll talk about it later!" Sollux snapped.

"All this time I've video chatted with you at your hive fish douche was probably right there just out of sight and I had no-," he froze in mid sentence, a look of horror washing over his face. "Oh gog, that one time you pailed someone while I was right there on the video chat…" he couldn't bring himself to finish speaking the thought.

"Not now KK," the double horned troll repeated. "Come on ED let'th go." He began walking with Eridan towards the front door when suddenly a voice stopped him.

"He's not the only one you should talk to later," Aradia said bitterly as she stepped out of the hallway and into the main room. The hurt in her voice was evident.

"AA pleathe-"

"Not right now Sollux," she cut him off before turning angrily and disappearing back into the hallway. Nepeta appeared contemplative.

"Well I was right about the fish part," the olive blood mumbled to herself.

"Sollux," Feferi spoke up shyly. "I'm sorry, I'm confused. I thought you were red for me," she admitted quietly.

"What?" Sollux asked in surprise. "No, thorry FF but we broke up thweepth ago." Eridan caught Nepeta's eye briefly.

"What did I tell ya?" he muttered.

"What?" Sollux asked Eridan. The sea troll shook his head.

"Tell you later, hun."

"Fine, you two leave," Karkat said once he had found his voice again. "But there will be talks later," he warned. "There will be so much talking you will want to light your protein chutes on fire and then stomp on the disgusting ashes to further punish it for putting you through such a torturous hell of letting so many words babble forth from it."

"Happy wrigglin' day Rezi," Eridan managed before Sollux pulled him out the front door of the hive.

"Well that could've gone better," Sollux said flatly and the two made their way back to their hive together.


	8. Chapter 8

Eridan was awakened from his nap by an incessant banging on his hive door. He groggily sat up from his place on the couch and looked around the living room. It was dark and he was alone. He grumbled and threw the blankets off of himself. Faintly, he could hear the sound of typing coming from down the hall. The banging continued.

"Sol!" the sea dweller shouted irritably in the direction of the hallway. "Answer the fuckin' door!"

"I'm buthy," Sollux's voice floated out to the living room, his typing didn't waver.

"God damn it, Sol!" Eridan growled in frustration. "Why did we have to tell everyone where we live?"

"Becauthe they would've kicked our atheth if we didn't," the yellow blood called. Eridan rolled his eyes and struggled to stand from the couch, one hand splayed out behind him and the other on his stomach for balance.

"Calm the fuck down out there," he hollered at the front door. The sea dweller finally made it over to the source of the noise and quickly undid the locks. He opened the door just wide enough to greet Karkat on the other side with his scowling face.

"What the fuck do you want, peasant?" Eridan asked in irritation. The shorter troll remained impassive.

"Wow, does your matesprit let you kiss him with that elitist mouth?" Karkat snapped back. Eridan appeared unamused. "It's about damn time one of you came to the door."

"Again, what the fuck do you want?" the sea dweller asked impatiently.

"Who the hell pissed in your First Meal flakes today?" the shorter troll retorted. "What did I fucking do to you?"

"Besides bein' hatched way too far down the hemospectrum for me to care?" Eridan replied nastily. He felt a little bad for being so offensive but there was no way he was going to apologize. Apologizing just was not something that he did. Karkat just stared wide-eyed at the violet blood for a moment, temporarily stunned by the below the belt insult. Eventually he recovered and narrowed his eyes at the troll on the other side of the door.

"Just get Sollux," Karkat growled.

"Oh too bad for you," Eridan said in false disappointment, "he's busy. Guess you'll have to come back some other time." He started to shut the door on the other troll but was stopped when Karkat quickly grabbed the door and tried to force it open.

"I don't think so," the Cancer said as he strained to wrench the door away from the high blood.

"Don't you fuckin' open this door!" Eridan shouted near panic. "I'm indecent!" he lied. Karkat let go of the door immediately with a muttered curse. There was a moment where both trolls tried to catch their breath.

"Fine," Eridan finally relented. "I'll go get Sol for you. Stay right here," he instructed before slamming the door shut and marching off to retrieve his matesprit.

"Sol," he announced his presence as he entered the office. "Kar's at the door so get off your ass and go let him in because I can't fuckin' do it. He wants to see you anyways." Sollux rolled his eyes and saved his work. He could already tell that Eridan was in one of those mood swings he was prone to lately.

"Alright, you got me," he said as he held up his hands in defeat. "I'm going." The psionic stood from his computer chair.

"Try not to make it too long because I'm goin' to be stuck back here until he leaves so that he doesn't see me," Eridan reminded him.

"That'th fine, I'm not really looking forward to thith anywath. It'th the 'what elthe have you been hiding from me' converthation that I already had to have with AA. What maketh it tho shitty ith that I have to thit there and convinthe two clothe friendth that I won't lie to them anymore while thtill not mentioning the fact that I'm going to be a luthuth." He sighed and kissed Eridan on the forehead. "Let me know if you need anything," he added before heading to the front door. The first thing he noticed was that Karkat looked way angrier than usual.

"Hey KK," the yellow blood greeted casually as he let his fuming friend in.

"How the fuck can you be matesprits with someone that is constantly belittling your blood color? Do you just let him abuse you like that?" Karkat ranted. Sollux looked genuinely confused.

"He almotht never thayth anything about my blood color. Why? Did he thay thomething about yourth?"

"Yeah he was being a fucking prick!" the Cancer shouted before throwing himself down onto the couch. Sollux quirked a brow at that before taking a seat himself.

"Thorry about that. He'th just having one of hith mood thwingth," the Gemini apologized.

"Mood swings?"

"It'th a uh- thea dweller thing," Sollux fabricated. Karkat scoffed.

"Whatever. I didn't come here to tell you how to run your life or anything. I just want some answers and to make sure you know what in the hell you're getting yourself into," he explained as he looked pointedly at his friend.

"KK I am fully aware of what I have 'gotten mythelf into'," Sollux groaned and used air quotes over the words that Karkat used.

"You're in a matespritship with someone that used to be your kismesis," Karkat stated flatly. "And that former kismesis isn't just anyone, it's Eridan."

"What'th wrong with it being Eridan?" Sollux asked defensively.

"Come on, Sollux! You and I both know he hasn't exactly been the most stable individual," the Cancer pointed out with an eye roll as though his answer should have been obvious.

"None of uth are perfect," Sollux responded evenly.

"Look- Sollux, all I know is that when we were all younger out of all of us Eridan was a pretty fucked up guy. He was alone on an island most of the time doing fuck knows what, he was massively racist against land dwellers, massively casteist, and when things didn't go his way with Feferi he flipped the fuck out. You two couldn't stand each other and honestly when the two of you became official as kismesises I was surprised. I thought it was pure, platonic, out-for-each-other's-blood hate. But now," Karkat motioned around the living room they were seated in, "I find out that sweeps after you two called it quits you are living together, in a hive that was clearly a joint decision, as matesprits. Pardon the fuck out of me for being just a little bit baffled." He crossed his arms in a huff, clearly having said his peace.

"All I can tell you ith that people change," Sollux began quietly, carefully choosing his words. "Me and ED never actually broke up, we jutht flipped red. If I'm going to be honetht with you, we are actually in both quadranth with each other. Tho yeah, he'th unthtable but tho am I." Sollux took a moment to fiddle with one of the blankets that Eridan insisted they keep on the couch.

"You know that him wanting to wipe out all of the land dwellerth wath jutht a phase he went through. I'm not thaying he'th not an ath hole becauthe he really can be, but I'm thaying I really care about him and he ith who I want ath a matethprit." He stared at the blanket in his hand to avoid eye contact with the other troll. He wasn't exactly comfortable talking about his feelings outside of his own head. He felt that simply saying he "really cared" about Eridan was a gross understatement. He could probably elaborate further on how Eridan was his matesprit of choice but the thought of telling Karkat that he wanted to be with Eridan until the day he died or that he would kill for the violet blood was rather unsettling so he remained silent. In fact, both trolls sat in awkward silence as the weight of their conversation sank in until Sollux's phone vibrated on the table in front of them. He reached forward to grab it and checked his new message.

"I'll be right back," the yellow blood told his guest as he slid off the couch. "ED needth thome water."

"Tell him to get off his lazy ass and get it himself," Karkat sputtered indignantly. Sollux shrugged.

"It'th alright I'll get it," he said nonchalantly. Karkat was staring at him in horror.

"What has he done to you?' he demanded. Sollux laughed and went to the meal block to fix a glass of ice water before taking it down the hall to the office.

"Hey babe, you doing okay?" he asked as he set the glass down on Eridan's desk. He noticed that Eridan was no longer wearing his scarf and had changed out of his long sleeved shirt in favor of a short sleeved one. The violet blood turned in his seat toward his matesprit to scowl at him before making a show of picking up the glass and setting it back down on a coaster.

"Yes I'm fine," he said finally. "I'm just talkin' to Kan on Trollian. She brought up somethin' I hadn't even thought of," he stated before taking a sip of his water.

"What'th that?" the Gemini asked curiously.

"We're goin' to have to set up a nursery," Eridan informed him as he sipped his water again.

"A nurthery," Sollux repeated the word as if he was speaking a foreign language. Eridan caught onto what he was doing and rolled his eyes.

"Oh for cod sakes, Sol!" he shouted in exasperation. "A room to put the eggs in until they hatch and then the grubs can sleep an' play in there. You know, a room just for them?"

"Oh," Sollux said when he realized. It was true; neither of them had even talked about what they were going to do with the eggs until they hatched and then the grubs that would come after. With Eridan only being roughly a month away from laying the eggs Sollux quickly figured that he was going to be the one setting this nursery up.

"We'll talk about it later," Eridan told him as he waved his hand dismissively and went back to his conversation with Kanaya. He had already finished the entire glass of water and was working on sucking on the ice cubes. "Go back to Kar," he said around an ice cube in his mouth.

"Alright," Sollux sighed. He kissed Eridan on the cheek and paused. Something seemed a bit off but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "Let me know if you need anything elthe," he finally said before going back to the living room and leaving Eridan to his nursery planning with Kanaya.


	9. Chapter 9

Sollux returned to the living room to find Karkat perusing his video game collection. "Jutht make yourthelf at home KK," the yellow blood said sarcastically. Karkat turned to roll his eyes at his friend but continued rummaging through the storage cubes of games stashed under the entertainment center.

"Whatever. You left me alone to bring water to His Royal Pain in the Ass so I had to find something to keep me entertained," the nubby horned troll extracted a game from one of the cubes and waved it around. "Since when do you keep your games in these things? I thought you just left them laying wherever the fell." Sollux stared at his friend for a moment before deciding to finally answer.

"ED thaid it looked tacky keeping the gameth where everyone can thee them," he explained with a tinge of embarrassment.

"Wow. Just fucking wow," Karkat responded. He stood from where he had been seated on the floor and handed the other troll the game he had been holding. "You need to play this with me," he commanded. Sollux took the game and hesitated. He knew Eridan had to stay in the back rooms of the hive while Karkat was over which wasn't exactly favorable. On the other hand, Eridan had seemed pretty engrossed in discussing nursery plans with Kanaya so perhaps he wouldn't notice if Sollux played just a couple of levels with Karkat.

"Alright, but jutht a few levelth. I've got thome thtuff I have to get done today," he relented before popping in the disk and tossing Karkat a controller.

"What? Like the princess will need dinner served in the respite block?" the mutant blood teased.

"Oh shut up," Sollux groaned and playfully pushed the other troll's shoulder as he set up his player on the screen.

"Where is he anyways? Was he so repulsed by my blood color that he refuses to be in the same room as me?" the Cancer inquired sarcastically.

"Come on KK he doethn't give a shit what color your blood ith. He'th jutht not feeling good today tho he'th probably lying down," Sollux tried to cover for his matesprit's lack of presence. Karkat seemed to accept that excuse and didn't ask any further questions on the matter. The two began their game with a steady flow of banter between them.

They were midway into level three when Sollux's phone buzzed again. He immediately paused the game which earned him an exasperated groan from Karkat. The yellow blood ignored his friend and unlocked his phone to reveal that the text was indeed from Eridan. He opened the message and felt his breath hitch in his throat.

CA: I need you here NOW

No typing quirk. Eridan would only abandon his typing quirk in extreme cases because it meant 'I'm not fuckin' playin' around this is serious business'.

"Oh shit," Sollux whispered before jumping up from the couch. "Jutht thtay right here KK I'll be right back! Jutht- keep playing or thomething," he instructed frantically before rushing off down the hall. When he reached the office he threw the door open to find Eridan laid out in the middle of the floor on his back wearing nothing but his boxer briefs.

"Eridan!" Sollux nearly shouted before running over to his matesprit and crouching down beside him. "What'th wrong? What'th going on?" The Gemini grabbed the violet blood's hand and immediately realized what had seemed off about him earlier when he had brought him the glass of water. The sea dweller didn't feel icy cold to the touch like he normally did. It was still quite cold in comparison to Sollux's much lower blooded warmth but it was definitely missing the stinging chill that the psionic had grown accustomed to.

"Shit! Fuck!" Sollux hissed.

"Everything alright back there?" Karkat's voice drifted back to them from the living room.

"Yeah it'th good!" Sollux answered back distractedly as he took in the uncomfortable expression on Eridan's face and the rise and fall of his exposed pregnant belly as he breathed. "Should I call Kanaya or thomething?" he finally asked.

"Already told her. She's on the way," Eridan breathed out before gripping Sollux's hand. "Make this stop, Sol. It's too hot. Why is it so hot?" The yellow blood moved the damp purple bangs away from the sea dweller's brow. Eridan was indeed covered in a light sheen of sweat. Sollux didn't even know Eridan could sweat.

"It'll be okay. Don't worry. Kanaya'th going to get here and we'll make it all better," Sollux brushed his fingers along the other troll's face and tried to hide the fact that inside he was absolutely terrified.

When Kanaya arrived she let herself in the front door and was surprised to find Karkat sitting on the couch.

"Oh! Karkat what are you doing here?"

"I came over to talk to Sollux and we were playing a game," the mutant blood answered hesitantly. "What are you doing here?" he asked, just as surprised to see her as she was him.

"I was summoned because Eridan is very unwell and my medical knowledge could be of use," the jade blood informed smoothly.

"Jeez I didn't realize the douche canoe was that sick," Karkat replied taking on a semi serious tone, eyeing the large bag the other troll had on her shoulder.

"Yes I am afraid it is quite serious," Kanaya confirmed. "In fact, it may be best if you went back to your hive now. I have not gotten a good look at him yet to know whether it is contagious or not." This seemed to light a fire under the short troll as he stood from the couch immediately and made his way towards the door.

"Shit, Terezi will kill me if I bring home some unknown illness. I'll see you later Kanaya," Karkat waved as he rapidly exited the hive to make his way home. Finally Kanaya could get to Eridan and assess the situation.

"Sollux?" she called out into the hive.

"We're back here!" he answered back immediately. The panic in his voice was evident. The Virgo reached the room where the other two trolls were located and dropped to her knees by Eridan's side across from Sollux where she began digging through her bag.

"What the hell ith going on?" Sollux demanded frantically. Kanaya extracted a thermometer from her bag and placed it in Eridan's mouth before feeling his forehead with the back of her hand.

"I am not sure. He did keep mentioning periodically throughout our conversation that it was rather warm. The last thing he said was 'Kan, I just can't. Please help.' Did you remove his clothing or-"

"No I found him like thith when I came in here," Sollux shook his head. The thermometer beeped and Kanaya removed it from the royal blooded troll's mouth. A look of concern spread across her face as she studied the results of the device.

"This is much too high for someone of his blood caste," she said before placing her hands on his stomach and feeling around.

"Tho what doeth that mean?" Sollux asked in distress.

"It feels like my body is on fire," Eridan murmured weakly. Sollux glanced down at his matesprit. The violet blood's eyelids were fluttering shut and his hair was damp with sweat.

"What do we do to fix thith?" he demanded. "Kanaya, you have to know what to do!" The jade blood finished examining Eridan's belly and shot the Gemini a severe look.

"Give me just a moment to think! It's not like there are piles of recorded accounts of sea trolls reproducing with land trolls in a way that is exclusively used by the former," she snapped.

"Sol," Eridan called faintly. Both Kanaya and Sollux's attention instantly turned to him.

"I'm right here Eridan," Sollux assured and brought their joined hands up to his lips to kiss the sea troll's knuckles.

"Sol," Eridan repeated even softer than before. His eyelids fluttered again before he suddenly went completely limp.

"Eridan!" Sollux shouted in alarm and began shaking the other troll's body lightly. Kanaya placed her hand over his and shook her head.

"He most likely blacked out from the heat," she informed. The yellow blood remained silent but looked on anxiously. "He's only about a month away from laying the eggs right? There are four by the way, I just felt them."

"Four? Theriously?" Sollux asked incredulously. Kanaya nodded with the ghost of a smile on her lips. "Uh, yeah, he'th got about a month left." The Virgo appeared pensive for a few moments before gasping suddenly.

"I think I have come up with something. You are much lower on the hemospectrum than Eridan therefore your body temperature is normally much higher than his. Some of the developing grubs must be low bloods and they are forcing his body temperature to rise in order for them to be able to survive," she explained.

"Well what do we do?" Sollux asked worriedly.

"We need to lower his body temperature back into a normal range," Kanaya answered gravely.

"Okay let'th do it. What do we need? An ice bath?" the yellow blood suggested anxiously, ready to jump into action.

"Yes, but… Sollux I just want to be sure you fully realize what this would mean," the Virgo stated carefully.

"We'd be making Eridan better wouldn't we?" he asked.

"More than that. We would be saving his life," she explained. "As a sea dweller, Eridan's body is not equipped to handle high temperatures. If it continues to rise his organs could become damaged and he could die. Not to mention that if any of the grubs are high bloods it would kill them too. There is no way of knowing how many grubs are low blooded. It could just be one or it could be all of them. If we lower Eridan's body temperature we will save him from the devastating effects the heat could have on him, but we would also surely be killing the low blood grubs. Are you prepared to do this?" Sollux felt sickened but glanced down at his unconscious matesprit.

"Let'th get him in the bath," Sollux stated resolutely. "We can alwayth try again for grubth later but nothing ith worth lothing Eridan." Kanaya nodded in understanding and pushed herself up from the floor.

"I will begin drawing the bath. You stay with him just in case anything changes. I will let you know when I am ready for him." The jade blood left to begin filling up the tub with cold water. Sollux remained by Eridan's side stroking his hair comfortingly. Before he knew it, Kanaya was calling for him from the ablution block. He scooped Eridan up bridal style and carried him to the tub with a bit of difficulty. The sea troll was much heavier now that he was carrying eggs.

"Go ahead and get him settled in there while the ablution trap finishes filling up," Kanaya instructed. "I was not aware the two of you had such a large one. This could take awhile. I will go ahead and fetch some ice." Sollux gently lowered his unconscious matesprit into the chilly water, deciding to keep the other troll's undergarments on. Kanaya returned a moment later with a large bowl full of ice.

"You go ahead and start filling something else up with ice while I add these to the bath. We will take turns until we have enough," the Virgo strategized.

"Alright," Sollux agreed then left for the meal block. It took several trips but eventually the two managed to get the tub more full with ice than water.

"What do we do now?" Sollux asked as he stared at the strange sight of his pregnant matesprit unconscious in a tub full of ice.

"There is not much we can do other than wait and hope that the fever will break," the female troll sighed.

"Thith is jutht tho crazy," the yellow blood let out a hollow laugh as he sat on the edge of the tub. "I never thought that I wath going to be rethponthible for raithing grubth. Me of all trollth! Thith whole thing wath jutht a thtupid mithtake." Kanaya sat silently listening to the Gemini's voice echoing off the tiled walls from her perch on the seat of the toilet. "I never thought that I would be tho exthited about thuch a thtupid mithtake," he said sadly then turned to finally face Kanaya. "I hope they don't all die." It pained Kanaya to see such a look of anguish on her friend's face. "I jutht want Eridan to wake up and be okay again."

The two lost track of how many hours they spent in the ablution block keeping the tub full of fresh ice. Twice they had to partially drain the tub because all the melted ice water nearly made it overflow. Eventually Eridan came to and found himself very disoriented. He blinked several times in an attempt to focus his vision before realizing that he wasn't wearing his glasses so his chances of seeing anything in focus were slim. What he could tell was that he was in a bathtub full of water and ice with his underwear on. Before he could begin to panic he realized that he could smell Sollux nearby.

"Sol?" he questioned out loud and immediately heard a startled intake of breath. Had he been sleeping? Where were they? "Sol what's goin' on? Where are my fuckin' glasses?" Sollux scrambled up from the floor beside the tub where he had fallen asleep and grabbed Eridan's glasses off the counter. He handed the glasses over and sat on the edge of the tub studying the violet blood's every move carefully.

"How are you feeling?" Sollux asked anxiously. Eridan placed his glasses on his face and took the opportunity to look around the room. He recognized it as his own ablution block. There were bowls of varying sizes scattered throughout the room. There was also a large black bag sitting on the floor near the wall.

"Honestly I feel like I just received a rather vigorous handshake from your lusus," he answered before turning his attention to the troll seated on the edge of the tub. "Now would you mind tellin' me what in the fuck I'm doin' in here?" Sollux smiled, glad that Eridan seemed to be feeling like himself. It was then that Kanaya re-entered the ablution block.

"I heard voices so I came to see if everything is- oh good, you are awake!" she beamed at the sea troll and went to grab the thermometer from her bag. "I just need to take your temperature to be sure everything is as it should be." The look of pure irritation written on Eridan's face was enough for make Sollux giddy. Before the sea troll could voice his frustrations a thermometer was shoved into his mouth.

"Kanaya thinkth that pothibly thome of our grubth were low bloodth and they made your body temperature go higher than you could handle," Sollux began explaining to Eridan as Kanaya waited for the device to finish determining his current temperature. The high blood's eyes widened in surprise and the thermometer finally beeped its end signal. Kanaya took it from his mouth and looked it over carefully

"That is much better," she said with a smile. Sollux felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest.

"You know, I remember gettin' uncomfortably hot," Eridan stared into the water trying to recall what had happened after that but drew a blank. "That's all I can remember."

"Well you were unconscious for quite a while," Kanaya supplied.

"I guess that explains why I don't remember gettin' into the tub," Eridan grumbled. He noticed the jade blood exchange a glance with his matesprit. "What? What's wrong?"

"It'th jutht…" Sollux hesitated for a moment and looked back over to Kanaya.

"We put you in the ablution trap in order to lower your body temperature into a safer range," the Virgo explained carefully. "Obviously we were successful in our endeavor, however that means that any grubs that were developing into low bloods have no chance for survival." The violet blood felt as if a shot had just been fired through his chest and he was rendered completely speechless.

"I have determined through palpation that there are four eggs. If I am correct with my theory as to why your temperature suddenly sky rocketed then we know that at least one was a low blooded grub."

"What if it was all of 'em?" Eridan choked out. He looked over to Sollux desperately. How could he have let this happen?

"I couldn't lothe you, ED," the yellow blood's voice was thin as paper. He looked defeated and run down. It had clearly been a long day for him and the decision to knowingly sacrifice his own offspring was weighing on him heavily. Deep down Eridan completely understood why Sollux had put him in that bath tub- he was not replaceable. An entirely different part of Eridan, his ancient instincts, told him to put his eggs before himself at all costs. It was this part of him that rose to the forefront of his mind and placed words on his tongue.

"I would like to be alone now."

Kanaya nodded sympathetically and shouldered her bag before leaving the room. Sollux just watched as Eridan stared blankly at the water in front of him. He looked so broken and all Sollux could think was that he needed to pick up the pieces and put him back together.

"Eridan, I-"

"Not now," he whispered before sliding down in the tub enough to completely submerge himself. Sollux chewed on his lip with his oversized fangs but left the prince alone. He found Kanaya in the living room. She looked as though she were ready to leave.

"What'th going to happen with him?" the Gemini asked quietly. "I wish I never had to choothe between him or my grubth. Ith he going to never forgive me?" Kanaya placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I am sure he understands, dear. He probably just needs to work through some of this on his own," she assured. "Just give him some time. I am going to get back to my hive now. Please call me if anything else happens, alright?" Sollux nodded.

"Thankth for helping out tho much GA."

"Not a problem. I will see you in about a month," she said warmly. Once she had left Sollux found himself standing in the living room alone. The silence and stillness of the atmosphere bore down on him heavily and seemed to make the voices in his head louder. He could feel a migraine coming on. Unsure of what else to do with himself, he went back into the office and threw himself into a rather complex coding project to provide a distraction until Eridan finally emerged from the ablution block.

The day gave way to the next night and it was already very dark out when Eridan finally appeared in the doorway of the office still damp. Sollux was fighting to keep his vision focused on the numbers in front of him when suddenly he felt the other troll's presence. There was no mistaking the smells that emanated from his matesprit either. He turned to see him standing at the doorway.

"I love you," Eridan told him softly. Sollux knew that Eridan loved him, but in those three words he also heard another three that he desperately wanted to hear: "I forgive you."

Sollux left his computer and strode across the room to close the gap between him and the royal blooded troll. Once he was in front of him he wrapped his arms around him and buried his face in the other's icy neck. After a moment of embracing, Eridan led them to their respite block where they climbed into their recuperacoon and fell asleep in each other's arms.


	10. Chapter 10

Sollux sat on the couch in the living room chatting with his moirail on Trollian simply enjoying the luxury of being able to sit down. He had just completed the weeklong chore of cleaning out the room that he and Eridan had been using for storage and converting it into a nursery for their grubs.

After taking it easy for several days following the fever incident, Eridan had insisted that they needed to get started on the room before it was too late. It soon became evident that the sea troll wasn't going to be able to contribute much in the helping out department as he was unable to lift anything too heavy and could barely bend over to pick up anything small. The end result was an entire week of Sollux clearing everything out of the room and relocating it- by himself- before putting together and moving in all of the nursery stuff- by himself. All the while Eridan stood by barking orders at him like a drill sergeant and telling him that he was doing it all wrong. On more than one occasion Sollux had to try to reign in his psionics which were crackling out of his frustration, and once he had actually threatened Eridan that were he not pregnant at the moment he would punch him in the face. Eridan had countered that maybe if Sollux didn't sit on his ass all day at the computer he would be more competent at performing simple tasks of manual labor.

So as Sollux relaxed on the couch catching up with Aradia he was feeling rather black for his double concupiscent quadrantmate. Aradia was just describing some fascinating rocks that she had found outside a cave when Eridan sauntered into the room and took a seat next to Sollux on the couch.

"What do you want, fith breath?" Sollux grumbled without looking up from his husktop screen.

"Oh, nothin'," the violet blood responded casually- too casually. Sollux looked up from his screen in irritation to face the other troll.

"What ith that fathe for?" the yellow blood frowned.

"Hm?" Eridan questioned innocently but the smirk on his face was far from innocent. "I just wanted to thank you." Sollux suddenly felt a hand on his knee that was so cold he could feel it through his jeans. He looked down at the hand then back to Eridan with an eyebrow raised.

"To thank me," he repeated flatly. Eridan nodded slightly and leaned in closer.

"For all the hard work you did," he explained. Sollux grinned smugly. He could tell where Eridan was going with this and he couldn't say that he was opposed to the idea. It had been at least since the night before the fever scare that the two of them were last intimate.

"Oh yeah?" Sollux asked smoothly. "And how were you planning on doing that?" The Gemini received his answer in the form of Eridan closing the distance between them with a soft kiss to his lips.

"Like this," the sea troll whispered, pulling away from Sollux's mouth just enough to speak. The yellow blood quickly reconnected their lips and just like that he was red for the violet blooded troll all over again. Eridan grunted softly into the kiss as Sollux lowered himself to lie back against the couch cushions and brought Eridan down on top of him. The high blood settled between the double horned troll's legs with his stomach pressed against the warm body beneath him.

The two continued exchanging wet kisses and after a while they began grinding their hips together desperately. Sollux placed his hands on Eridan's hips for better leverage and Eridan had just slid an icy hand up his matesprit's shirt when suddenly the door to their hive burst open and Aradia stormed in.

"Sollux Captor!" she bellowed while looking highly pissed off.

"Fuck!" Sollux yelped in surprise with his hands frozen in place out of pure shock. Eridan's hands shot out and pulled the blanket off the back of the couch quickly draping it over himself to cover their bodies from view.

"What the hell, Megido? You can't just come bustin' into other trolls' hives!" Eridan shouted. The rust blood turned her angry glare to the sea troll.

"I am Sollux's moirail therefore I have the authority to enter whenever necessary," the Aries huffed.

"Well I am his matesprit and kismesis who also happens to live her an' I say no you fuckin' can't!" Eridan argued back with an air of superiority to his voice. Aradia looked confused for a moment.

"You can't be both-"

"Guyth!" Sollux cut in before the two could take things any further. Now that the initial excitement of the female troll's entrance had worn off she caught a whiff of something and crinkled her nose slightly as she examined the scent.

"What is that smell?" she questioned. "It smells familiar but it's so strange."

"What did you come here for, AA?" Sollux asked hoping to distract his moirail from her train of thought. It seemed to work as she focused her attention on the heterochromatic troll and stopped sniffing the air. Eridan attempted to surreptitiously draw the blanket more around himself and tried to press his body as close to Sollux as possible to keep the mass of his belly hidden.

"You completely abandoned our Trollian conversation," Aradia answered. She sounded disappointed. Sollux felt a wave of guilt wash over him and made eye contact with Eridan briefly. He felt like the worst moirail on the planet.

"I'll just leave you two alone," the Aquarius suggested once he had gathered enough of the blanket around himself to sit up with it draped over his shoulders.

"Are you sure?" Sollux asked worriedly. The last time Sollux had alone time with a friend while Eridan stayed in another room something horrible had happened. Eridan rolled his eyes.

"I'll be fine I promise," he assured. "I really feel like gettin' in the water anyways." Sollux still had his doubts but gave Eridan a gentle push to help him stand from the couch with the blanket wrapped around him like a cloak. He disappeared to the ablution block with the fabric of the blanket trailing behind him.

Sollux sat up, running a hand through his messy hair as the motioned for Aradia to have a seat next to him. As soon as she sat down she was enveloped in a hug by a pair of long scrawny arms.

"I'm thuch a shitty moirail," his words came out muffled by her thick, wavy hair. She sighed and reached a hand up to pap one of the arms that encircled her.

"It just seems like these past few months you've been so distracted," she admitted quietly. "I mean, I can understand that some of it has had to do with hiding your relationship with Eridan, but that has been going on for sweeps and everything was fine. It's only been recently that you have seemed a bit off," she said as if she were trying to solve a puzzle. Sollux felt his blood pusher pump a bit faster and pulled away from the embrace gently so that the other troll wouldn't notice. "It's like there's something else that you are hiding." The Gemini was certain that all of the blood had drained from his face. His moirail's deep red eyes seemed to gaze into his soul with such intensity that he had to suppress a shiver from going down his spine.

Several moments of silence passed with the two looking into each other's eyes. Sollux began to feel light headed and realized that he had been holding his breath, too afraid to move. He let out the breath slowly and watched Aradia's unphased expression. He couldn't keep lying to her but he also couldn't exactly tell her the truth- not yet.

"I'm thorry, AA," he apologized sincerely. He was apologizing for everything, for lying in the past and for not being able to tell her the truth in the present. Aradia's gaze still bore into him but gave nothing away. "There ith thomething elthe but I jutht can't tell you right now." He hoped that she would be able to accept that as an answer. He thought he glimpsed some sort of recognition flash through her deep gaze but he couldn't be too sure he even saw anything at all.

"I understand," she replied with the ghost of a smile playing on her lips. "The timing isn't right," she said cryptically. She leaned in to place a kiss on Sollux's confused brow before she stood from the couch ready to leave. "The spirits will keep me company in the meantime," her red lips spread into a full grin as she waved goodbye at the door and gently closed it behind her.


	11. Chapter 11

Sollux completely lost track of whatever it was he had planned on telling his matesprit when he entered the ablution block. The sharp scent of salt water permeated the air and assaulted his nostrils like a slap to the face. Upon hearing the psionic enter the room Eridan brought his head above the water and reclined against the angled side of the large tub. When the two had chosen to move in together they made sure both of their needs would be met within the same space. For Sollux that had meant plenty of space to store various computer parts and for his apiculture networks to function properly. Eridan had chosen to install a rather large tub in the ablution block which had plumbing that allowed for it to either be filled with regular tap water or water directly routed from the ocean.

"Thalt water, huh," Sollux more or less stated because it was pretty obvious by the smell and the vaguely cloudy look of the water that it was. Eridan only filled the tub up with salt water when he planned on being in there for a while.

"Did you need anythin' Sol?" Eridan asked curiously as he wiped his hands on a nearby towel and picked up one of the books that he had stacked on the side of the tub. Sollux had to admit he was a bit disappointed by this development as he had hoped the two of them would have been able to pick up where they left off before Aradia had come storming in. He supposed they still could but that would involve him sloshing around in a tub full of seawater and he'd rather just sit at his husktop and stay dry.

"Jutht wanted to let you know that my inthane moirail hath left tho you can come out whenever you're ready. I gueth that'll be awhile." Eridan flipped through his book until he found where he had left off.

"Yeah sorry about that. I just really felt like I needed to get in the water an' I figured I could catch up on my readin' while I'm at it," the sea troll explained.

"That'th fine. I've got thome work to catch up on anywayth," said Sollux. Eridan nodded his head in acknowledgment before diving back into his book and shutting the rest of the world out.

Sollux had been so focused on his projects that he hadn't glanced at a clock in hours. He was surprised at how early it was getting. The sun would be rising in only a couple more hours. He saved his work and leaned back in his chair to stretch his arms over his head. He heard a few satisfying pops before he stood up to make his way to his and Eridan's coon. As he passed by the ablution block he heard the unmistakable sounds of water droplets hitting still water. He paused by the door and thought there was no way Eridan wouldn't be in the recuperacoon by now.

Sollux pushed the door the rest of the way open and peered inside. The room still smelled heavily of sea salt but it was completely silent and still. The ceiling held a rippling light of reflected water from the tub. The yellow blood approached the tub as quietly as he could and peered down into it. Eridan lay curled up at the bottom of the tub fast asleep. Sollux had to suppress a sigh before he left the room to go climb into the recuperacoon. Eridan had slept in the tub before but it happened very rarely and Sollux had grown to hate sleeping alone.

The next evening the Gemini was awakened by the buzzing of his phone. He reached out a sopor drenched arm to grope for it on the edge of the coon. He somehow managed to not drop the device into the slime and brought it close to his face as he tried to squint through his sleepy haze to make sense of the message on his screen.

CA: can you bring me some breakfast im hungry

TA: where the fuck are you?

CA: in the ablution block

Sollux was now very awake. He was very awake, very confused, and also slightly irritated. The double horned troll pulled himself out of the recuperacoon and toweled off quickly before grabbing a pair of boxers and jamming them on. He stomped to the ablution block where sure enough Eridan was still in the tub although he was now awake and flipping through a different book.

"Good evenin' Sol," Eridan greeted in a chipper tone and placed his book on the edge of the tub. "Come here," he gestured with his arms out as if asking for a hug.

"What the hell ED?" Sollux asked in frustration. "Bring you food while you thtay in the ablution trap? Go make it yourthelf." The violet blood's expression fell slightly and he brought his arms back in to lean on his elbows.

"I would but I just…" he looked down as he struggled to find the words.

"You jutht what? Are too lazy?" Eridan's head shot back up but he didn't look angry. He just looked confused.

"No. I just don't feel like I should be leavin' the water. I just have this feelin'," he tried to explain. Sollux sighed and relaxed a bit.

"Thith ith another one of thothe thea dweller thingth ithn't it?" he acquiesced.

"Probably," the high blood still seemed confused by his feelings but decided to leave it at that.

"Fine. What ith it you dethire your majethty?" Sollux grinned. Eridan smirked at his matesprit's sarcasm and decided to play along. He sat up a bit straighter.

"Whatever your limited peasant culinary skills can prepare," Eridan answered in his best attempt at sounding regal. "Now make haste an' bring plenty as I have more than just my own mouth to feed." Sollux nearly laughed as Eridan ran a hand over his pregnant belly to emphasize his point.

"Right away my Lord," Sollux bowed to hide the grin he couldn't get off his face and backed out of the ablution block. Eridan hadn't just been playing the part when he mentioned Sollux's lack of culinary skills. The hacker really had no business in the meal block if it wasn't just to heat something up. Luckily, the violet blood had been known to occasionally eat fish raw and it seemed that there was plenty of that in the freezer. If his appetite had any correlation with the instinctual sea dweller behavior he was experiencing then he shouldn't mind raw fish for breakfast at all. Sollux piled a fair amount of the fish onto a plate, wrinkling his nose at the smell, and then threw a couple pieces of toast on the plate as well for good measure. That should work right?

When the low blood brought the plate into the ablution block Eridan immediately came up to the surface of the water and watched the plate move closer with a predatory stare. The second the plate made contact with the tiled edge of the tub a dripping wet hand shot out and grabbed one of the fish bringing it quickly to meet a set of shark like teeth. The fish was gone in a matter of seconds and replaced by another one that met the same fate. Sollux could only watch in a mix between fascination and revulsion as his matesprit devoured the plate of fish like a feral troll. In no time at all Eridan had finished off the pile of fish and began working on the pieces of toast.

"Well I'm going to go get mythelf thome food and finish my work," the Gemini said once he was able to break from his daze. "Let me know if you need anything elthe I gueth."

When Eridan stayed in the water for the rest of the night and it became apparent that Sollux would be sleeping alone again he was a little annoyed. When night two came around the psionic did pretty much what he had done on night one which was bring the Aquarius food and hang out with him beside the tub for a few hours so that they could still spend time together. It was when they were working their way into night three that Sollux decided he should probably get Kanaya in on the situation. He sat in the living room with his video game paused while he took out his phone and sent the jade blood a message.

TA: ED won't get out of the fuckiing ablutiion trap.

GA: Hello Sollux. What Do You Mean?

TA: ii mean he2 been ba2iically liiviing iin the ablutiion trap for goiing on three niight2 now.

GA: When You Say Living…

TA: ii mean he2 alway2 iin there. he 2leep2 iin there, hang2 out iin there, and he ha2 me briing hiim food iin there.

GA: Hmm.

TA: he ju2t won't come out of the water and ii'm 2iick of 2melliing iit.

GA: Smelling?

TA: 2alt water.

GA: Oh I See! Very Interesting Indeed. I Suppose It Is About Time For It Although It Really Does Not Seem As If It Has Been That Long.

TA: feel free two let me know what you're talkiing about at any tiime.

GA: He Is Nesting.

TA: ne2tiing?

GA: Yes! His Body Is Telling Him That The Eggs Are Coming Soon So His Instincts Have Told Him To Get To Where He Needs To Be To Lay Them.

TA: holy 2hiit he'2 about two lay the egg2 now?

Sollux felt himself begin panicking and nearly forgot to check his phone for more jade text.

GA: Probably Not This Very Second But Very Soon Indeed. It Could Be Any Day Now. Do Keep Me Posted.

Sollux texted back a quick affirmative before rushing back to the ablution block where Eridan was playing with his phone. The sea troll looked up at his matesprit and noticed that he appeared pale and out of breath.

"Sol? You okay?" Eridan asked a bit worriedly. The yellow blood tried to compose himself and took effort to steady his voice.

"Yeah," he answered casually as he strolled further into the room and sat on the edge of the tub. "Yeah I'm fine. How're you feeling? You feeling okay?"

"My stomach's kinda crampin' a bit but other than that I'm fine. Bein' in the water really helps take the weight off of my stomach, you know?"

"Oh your thtomach ith cramping, huh?" Sollux asked nervously as he immediately took out his phone to flip to his conversation with Kanaya.

TA: oh my god he 2ay2 hii2 2tomach iis cramping! what iif thii2 ii2 iit?

Eridan watched as the yellow blood seemed to frantically type out a message into his phone. "Sol?" he called gently.

GA: Most Likely Not. According To My Research, Once The Eggs Reach A Certain Level Of Development They Become Too Large And Heavy For The Egg Sack To Bear. It Is At This Point The Eggs Begin To Descend To The Bottom Of The Egg Sack, Right At The Opening To The Nook Canal, Which Causes The Egg Sack To Stretch Further Than It Is Capable Of Doing. This Is The Stage We Are Most Likely At. We Are Waiting For The Egg Sack To Break And Release The Eggs Down The Nook Canal To Be Laid. I Suppose The Short Answer To Your Question Would Be That It Is Normal For Some Cramping Or Discomfort To Occur But No It Is Not Time.

"Sollux what the fuck is goin' on?" Eridan demanded. The psionic finally looked up from his phone to meet the other troll's frustrated glare.

"I've been texthting GA about your current thituation," he began as calmly as he could.

"And?" the Aquarius asked impatiently.

"And apparently the reathon for all of thith ith becauthe you are going to be laying the eggth thoon. She thayth you're nethting." Eridan sat in silent shock as he re evaluated his reason for staying in a tub full of salt water for three nights and counting. He finally realized that it made sense. He could feel that it was almost time for that moment that had always terrified him everytime he thought about it

"How soon?" the violet blood asked once he felt that he could finally speak again.

"She thayth it'th a matter of dayth now," Sollux shrugged. He reached out and grabbed a cold, wet hand holding it tightly. Eridan turned his stunned face to his matesprit.

"I'm- I'm scared," the high blood admitted as if he were surprised by the notion. Sollux squeezed the cold hand in his grasp and offered one of those grins that just made him look like a dork because it looked as though he were tripping over his own large fangs.

"You can do thith ED. I know you can."


	12. Chapter 12

The nights seemed to drag by agonizingly slow. Eridan was growing bored of being cooped up in the ablution trap by himself. He was tired of only being able to see Sollux by having him camp out in the ablution block for a few hours or whenever the yellow blood came into the room to use it for its intended purpose. He missed sleeping against the other troll in their recuperacoon. He was able to convince the psionic to sleep with him in the ablution trap one day but that was about all he could do was one day.

Sollux was never too far way from Eridan. His instincts told him to stay close and protect his matesprit while he was at his most vulnerable. He ended up having to send Kanaya to the store to get groceries for their hive because his overwhelming need to stay by Eridan's side prevented him from doing the task himself. Even though he knew that Kanaya was providing them with more help and support than he thought was possible, he still couldn't control the slight crackling of his psionics or the low growl that escaped his throat whenever she came around.

"It will probably get worse once the eggs have been laid you know," the jade blood commented as she helped him put food away.

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"Your protective instincts," she smiled. "It is one thing when they are inside Eridan but it is entirely different when they are sitting there out in the open all on their own." She placed the last can on the shelf and turned her attention back to him. "You most likely will not be able to have anyone over to the hive nor is it likely you will be leaving until they hatch."

"That'th four month'th!" Sollux exclaimed in surprise. "How am I going to exthplain thuddenly dropping off the radar for four month'th?" Kanaya gathered the bags of things she had gotten for herself.

"That is entirely up to you." She reached the door and turned around. "Who knows? Maybe you will be able to handle it," she waved good bye and let herself out the door. Sollux groaned in frustration and stormed off to the office to try to get some work done.

"What's wrong?" Eridan's voice echoed off the tiles as the Gemini stomped passed the ablution block.

"Fucking inthtincth are hoof beatht shit!" he growled in response before making it to his destination and throwing himself into his computer chair.

"Tell me about it" Eridan grumbled sinking a bit lower in the water to rest his head on his arms on the side of the tub. The violet blood was bored out of his mind. He started trying to find shapes in the tiles for the second time that night and before he knew it he had drifted off to sleep.

Eridan was awakened from his nap by a sharp, shooting pain in his lower abdomen. His eyes snapped open and he frantically took in his surroundings. He was still in the tub in the ablution block and it was still dark outside. He winced as the pain dulled and attempted to shift his body away from the edge of the tub only to bring on a new wave of pain. He gripped the edge of the tub so hard his knuckles went several shades lighter. The Aquarius whimpered slightly as he waited for this new wave of pain to pass. He chanced a glace down at his large stomach and nearly forgot to breathe when he noticed the water in the tub now had a slight violet tint to it.

"Sollux!" he choked out as another gut wrenching wave washed over him. He nearly screamed out loud but instead tightened his grip on the tub. "Sollux!"

The yellow blood paused his typing when he heard his name being called. Something about Eridan's voice didn't seem quite right so he hurriedly jumped up from his computer chair and rushed to the ablution block. The scene he was met with had him immediately pulling out his phone and sending the fastest text to Kanaya that he could manage telling her to get over to their hive as quickly as possible. Eridan looked pale and his face was screwed up in pain as he held onto the edge of the ablution trap like his life depended on it. The water itself looked like it was clouded with his blood.

"Sollux!" the sea troll was near tears. "It fuckin' hurts!" The psionic rushed to his matesprit's side and pulled the other troll close to him. He ran his fingers through the other's hair in an attempt to soothe him.

"I don't know what I can do for you to make it better, but GA ith on her way over and hopefully she knowth what to do." Another shockwave flooded Eridan's body and he hissed harshly.

"What are you feeling right now?" Sollux asked in concern and curiosity.

"Feels like someone's twistin' a fuckin' knife up my nook an' proddin' at my organs," the violet blood panted. "I just want it to sto- ahh!" his sentence was cut off by another sharp stab of pain. Sollux looked on wishing there was something more he could do to comfort his quadrantmante. He thought about offering his hand for the high blood to squeeze but he had no doubts that his hand would be broken in a matter of seconds. He suddenly noticed Eridan's eyes were shut tight and his face was turning a light shade of violet.

"What are you doing?" Sollux asked frantically.

"I'm pushin'."

"Already? Kanaya'th not even here yet are you sure-"

"My body is tellin' me to push so I'm pushin'," Eridan growled. He stopped trying to push and panted harshly as he tried to rest for a moment. Sollux's phone vibrated at the same time as Eridan's. The sea troll was too absorbed with trying to catch his breath while simultaneously dealing with the latest onslaught of pain to notice the odd phenomenon but Sollux took a moment to peek at his phone. A group chat invite from Feferi on Trollian flashed on the screen. The yellow blood heard the front door to the hive open followed by Kanaya calling to him to announce her presence and his phone was jammed back into his pocket. He saw Kanaya at the doorway out of his peripheral vision and a deep growl tore out of his throat. His body snapped towards her and the air became alive with static as he eyes became bright with the psionics crackling out of them. Eridan was back to pushing and the jade blood stood in the entryway with her arms up in surrender and a gentle look trained on the Gemini.

"Are you going to be able to let me work Mr. Captor?" she asked calmly.

"Fuck," Sollux groaned. "I don't mean to do that GA."

"I know you don't Sollux," she answered sincerely. She looked beyond the protective troll and appeared surprised. "He is pushing?"

"Yeah he thaid hith body wath telling him to."

"How long has he been in labor?" she asked as she cautiously entered the room to get closer to the sea troll.

"Probably about half an hour, Kan, maybe a little longer," Eridan panted answering for himself. Kanaya lifted a brow and placed her medical bag on the floor before getting on her knees in front of the tub.

"I need you to lean back and place your feet on the edge of the ablution trap so I can assess your progress," Kanaya instructed. Eridan grimaced and swallowed hard.

"It hurts to move," he groaned.

"I understand but you have to do this Eridan," she replied sternly. Slowly, Eridan leaned back and moved his legs in front of him. Once he began lifting his feet to the edge of the tub he cried out in pain and hesitated. Sollux chewed on his lip with his oversized fangs as he watched helplessly.

"Just a little more now, you can do it," Kanaya encouraged. Eridan nearly screamed as he lifted both legs slightly and pushed his feet onto the edge of the tub.

"Shit!" he moaned and shut his eyes tightly to ride out the pain that came from the whole endeavor.

"Very good, Eridan," Kanaya praised as she shifted closer to the violet blood's parted legs in order to get a visual on how his labor was progressing. His nook appeared to be open a bit wider than was standard for an average troll. In the books she had read, it diagramed how a troll's nook would expand when in labor to accommodate the size of the egg passing out of it. Eridan's nook certainly didn't look the size that had been shown in the diagram for ready to pass the egg. She reached her hand out between Eridan's legs but was met with resistance before she could reach his nook. She glanced at her hand only to find a glowing red and blue light encircling her wrist. She looked over to Sollux whose eyes were lit up again. After a moment the yellow blood collected himself and his psionic hold diminished.

"Thorry," he apologized again. The Virgo sighed before proceeding her reach for Eridan's nook. She pushed two fingers in causing the sea troll to groan in discomfort.

"What in the fuck are you doin' Kan?" The jade blood moved her fingers around to see if she could feel an egg or anything unusual.

"I am just trying to make sure an egg has not traveled too far down from you pushing." She removed her fingers and wiped them on a towel Sollux handed her. "I suggest you stop pushing for now because your nook does not look ready to pass any eggs yet." Eridan let out a scream as another jolt of pain coursed through him.

"Ith'nt there anything we can do for hith pain?" Sollux asked anxiously.

"Not anything that I am aware of. I am terribly sorry." Kanaya patted Eridan's leg sympathetically. "The pain he is feeling is most likely the nook muscles, along with a few others, contracting harshly to move the eggs along into and down the nook." Eridan took a deep breath and attempted to relax but couldn't seem to stop fidgeting. He took in another shuddering breath and let out a whine.

"I can't Kanaya! I just can't! I can feel it right there an' oh cod- oh cod I just can't!" he panted desperately before he succumbed to giving another hard push.

"Sollux, could you maybe bring Eridan a cup of tea? Perhaps it will help soothe him," Kanaya suggested. She was a bit alarmed by the pace of the labor. Sollux nodded before leaving the room to go to the meal block. Kanaya inserted her fingers into Eridan's nook again and as she strained to reach as far as she could she gasped when her fingers brushed against a smooth yet hard object. She removed her fingers quickly and watched the pained troll in front of her.

Sollux was just finishing up the final touches on the tea he was preparing when he heard his phone go off again. He pulled the device out of his pocket and looked at the screen to see that Karkat was messaging him. It actually looked like the angry troll had tried messaging him a few times already but he must've not heard it over the noise in the ablution trap. He set his phone on the counter and grabbed the mug of tea.

"Thorry KK you're jutht going to have to wait," Sollux muttered as he left to get back to his matesprit with the tea.

The sight that awaited the yellow blood left him awestruck standing in the doorway with the mug in his hand forgotten. Eridan sat naked in the water with his feet pushing against the side of the ablution trap. His hair was damp with a few loose strands hanging over his pain stricken face. His chest rose and fell with his rapid breathing as he strained to push the first egg out of his body which was now crowning in his nook. Sollux took in the entire scene and thought that Eridan had never looked more beautiful or pitiable than he did right in this moment.

"Hurry over here with that tea!" Kanaya snapped him out of his reverie and he rushed over to the side of the tub kneeling down next to her. The Virgo took the mug from him and set it off to the side. "He will not be able to drink that now but perhaps once this egg has been laid."

"Ith there anything elthe I can do?" Kanaya shook her head.

"It is all up to him to push these eggs out. We can only provide moral support as we can not push for him." Sollux reached out to brush a few stray hairs out of Eridan's face.

"I can thee the egg ED," he told the violet blood with a smile.

"What does it look like?" Eridan panted. Sollux looked down between his matesprit's legs to the small portion of the egg that was visible.

"I can't really tell yet but you're doing great," the Gemini encouraged. "Jutht keep pushing." Eridan groaned with effort and tossed his head back as he strained more. A small pinging noise was heard and Sollux turned to see Kanaya pulling her phone from her bag.

"Terribly sorry," she apologized as she silenced it and placed it back in her bag.

"No problem GA. I ended up jutht leaving mine in the meal block. I've got more important shit to deal with at the moment, you know?" Sollux said as he ran a hand over Eridan's leg soothingly.

"This is true," Kanaya agreed and turned her attention back to the matter at hand.

Bit by bit Eridan had managed to get the egg out up to the larger center portion of it. Progress was slow and exhausting.

"It hurts too fuckin' bad," Eridan moaned. "It feels like it's tearin' my nook apart!"

"That is just because you have reached the largest part of the egg, dear. Once you push just a little more you will pass that and it will get smaller again then you will be all done with that one," Kanaya attempted to placate the sea troll.

"Yeah then I just have to do it all over again three more fuckin' times!" he snapped as he dragged his hands down his face.

"You can do thith ED, I know you are thtrong enough for thith."

"Shut up Sol! You don't know what this fuckin' feels like!" Sollux was about to snap back a response when he felt Kanaya's hand on his arm. He directed his glare at her to see that she was shaking her head for him to let it go. He took a deep breath and held it for a moment before letting it out. The egg appeared to be at a stand still. It hadn't budged since getting to the widest part and Eridan's nook seemed to be stretched incredibly tightly over it.

"Once you have gotten the first egg out the others should come much easier," the jade blood assured. There was a soft vibrating noise from the counter across the room and Kanaya looked to Sollux questioningly.

"Eridan'th phone ith over there," he explained dismissively as he kept a close eye on the half laid egg. The color of the shell was a peculiar mix of greys and blues. It looked almost like a rock that would be found in an aquarium. This made sense, he figured, because if feral sea dwellers usually laid eggs like this they would be perfectly camouflaged among underwater rocks.

It was after Eridan had attempted to give another hard push with little to no results that both Sollux and Kanaya heard a very different sound. It was a very faint, barely noticeable _crunch_. Both trolls whipped their heads toward each other with wide eyed expressions. Both of them clearly thinking 'did you hear that?' Eridan didn't seem to notice anything as he put his head back in an attempt to catch his breath. Sollux turned his scrutinizing gaze back to the egg to check it over for imperfections. Just as he was about to pass the noise off as nothing, his bicolored eyes locked onto a minute crack in the egg's shell near where Eridan's nook was stretched tightly around it. He brought up his hand and very gently placed his finger on it just to be sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. He could feel the fine line under his fingertip. He turned his shocked expression back to Kanaya who looked just as much at a loss.

"How is it feeling, dear? Do you think you will be able to get it moving soon?" she asked tentatively. Her plan was to not let Eridan know anything was amiss. They couldn't afford for him to get spooked and jeopardize the whole egg laying. She placed her finger over her lips when Sollux looked like he was about to say something. He shut his mouth begrudgingly.

"Well Kan it still hurts like a bitch an' I don't see how I'm goin' to be pushin' this thing out when it feels too big to fit," Eridan informed. Kanaya bit her lip. The only way they were going to be able to get this egg out without any further damage was going to have to be to get it out quickly with only a couple more pushes. Sollux looked about ready to have a heart attack. Kanaya took a deep breath to steel herself for what was to come.

"Alright Eridan," she did her best to keep the grave tone from her voice. "I need you to put everything you have got into this next push. We are going to get you over this hump. Do you think you can do that?"

"I guess so," he answered and readjusted his footing in anticipation of the next effort.

"Alright, go!"

Eridan took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut as he strained with all his might. The muscles that were still contracting within his nook flared up at his effort and sent pain rocketing through his body. He screamed out in pain as another _crunch_ was heard and the small crack spread across more shell and deepened. Sollux looked frantically over at Kanaya but she just shook her head again. Tears prickled at the yellow blood's eyes and he turned back to the egg that was stuck in place.

"Fuck!" Eridan gasped as he shifted in discomfort slightly. His breathing was ragged. "Did that even do anything?" It was nearly all Kanaya could do to keep herself composed.

"You almost have it," she lied. "Any moment now and it will pop free." Sollux had to keep his jaw clenched tight to avoid saying anything. Eridan shifted again and that was it. The eggshell shattered. Sollux's hands shot out to catch the debris as tears rolled freely down his cheeks.

"Was that it?" Eridan asked once he felt the relief from the immense pressure that was on his nook.

"Yes that was it. The first one is out," Kanaya responded dabbing at her own eyes. She picked up the forgotten mug of tea and handed it to the violet blood. "Drink this now."

"Can I see it?" he asked eagerly.

"You can see them all when you are done laying them. Drink up and rest before the next one starts to come." He grumbled and took a sip from the mug. Kanaya looked over to Sollux who hadn't made any noise in a while. It didn't take long to notice why. In his hands he held the broken shell of his egg but his hands were also covered in a mess of blue. The egg had been a high blood.

"Sollux could you accompany me to the meal block for a moment?" she asked politely and gently guided Sollux to his feet. She ushered him out of the room quickly and led them to the meal block. He wouldn't stop staring at his hands.

"It wath a high blood," he murmured. "What if it wath the only high blood out of all of them? We already know the low bloodth didn't make it! What if thith wath the only one?" he asked hysterically as he shook his hands.

"There are still three other eggs. What if only one of them is a low blood?" she suggested. "There are still potentially two surviving grubs."

"Yeah but what are the chanthes thingth will actually work out in our favor like that?" he asked angrily. "They're probably all dead," he shrugged in defeat.

"You can not be so doom and gloom all the time, Sollux," Kanaya rolled her eyes at her friend's pessimism. "You can look at it that way or you can accept that there could still be one or even two that have survived." He shook his head and continued staring at his hands.

"I could have done thomething to help," he said desperately. "Anything! I could've uthed my thionicth or thomething."

"No you could not," Kanaya said sternly. Sollux looked like he wanted to argue but the Virgo silenced him. "If you use your psionics anywhere near his nook in this condition it could cause him to tense up around the egg which is the last thing we want. Besides, how are we to know the effects of psionics on developing grubs."

"The next one is comin'!" they heard Eridan shout. Kanaya placed a hand on Sollux's shoulder.

"Pull yourself together and get cleaned up. Your matesprit needs you." Kanaya left for the ablution block to assist with the second egg and Sollux went to the sink to take deep breaths. He looked down at the mess in his hands and felt a surreal feeling take hold of him. The combination of his genetic material and Eridan's resulted in this blue that stuck all over his hands. He _made_ this. An actual living grub would have formed from this to later become an actual living troll.

By the time Sollux made it back to the ablution block Eridan had already pushed the second egg out to the half way point. He was groaning in pain and looked exhausted. The Gemini took his place on his knees in front of the ablution trap to comfort the violet blood. He felt a bubbling of excitement laced with a twinge of hope, despite himself, at the sight of the second egg.

"You've almotht got it ED," Sollux coaxed. "Jutht a little bit more." Eridan strained and the double horned troll watched the egg carefully for any signs of damage. The egg suddenly slid forward and was caught by Kanaya before it could sink to the bottom of the tub. The jade blood placed the egg in a separate container of water before returning to the side of the tub.

"I am keeping them over there to ensure no harm will come of them while Eridan moves around in labor" she explained to Sollux when he looked at her questioningly. Sollux couldn't help staring at the perfectly intact rock colored egg that sat just a few feet away. Eridan lowered his feet from the side of the tub and moved his legs back underneath himself to sit up.

"Eridan, please rest yourself for-"

"There ain't no restin' for this one," he gasped as he sat up on his knees and leaned forward to grip the side of the tub. He spread his legs and hissed as the third egg began slowly emerging from his nook. From this position Sollux had better access to Eridan's face as he reached out and stroked his cheek. The sea troll leaned into the touch and whined as he pushed the egg further out of his body.

"You're more than half way there. You're tho amazing for doing thith ED," Sollux continued stroking his matesprit's cheek and lightly brushed over an ear fin as the third egg dropped from the high blooded troll's nook and was caught by Kanaya. Eridan laughed softly and leaned forward to brush his lips over Sollux's. "Doeth it thtill hurt?"

"Cod yes. All these muscles inside me won't stop contractin' to push these things out an' it hurts like hell." Eridan closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair to push the loose strands back. "Not to mention how stretched out my nook's been gettin'."

"We almotht have them all though," the yellow blood comforted. "Then all we do ith wait for them to hatch."

"You are really doing great Eridan," Kanaya chimed. The Aquarius smiled slightly before grimacing in pain.

"The last one's ready," he panted then began working on pushing it out. It didn't take very long at all before the last egg was in the water and Kanaya was scooping it out to put it with the others.

"That is it. They have all been laid," Kanaya congratulated.

"Fuck!" Eridan hissed as he collapsed into the violet stained water to relax. Sollux realized how much of Eridan's round stomach had come from just the eggs alone as now it just looked like he had gained a few extra pounds of chub around his belly.

"Do you want us to drain the water for you so you can finally return to your recuperacoon?" Kanaya asked politely.

"Yeah sure but I'm not fuckin' movin'" Eridan waved his hand dismissively.

"I'll carry you ED," Sollux offered. Kanaya pulled the plug to the drain and when enough water had drained away Sollux leaned down and lifted Eridan into his arms.

"I will just place these in the nursery for you," Kanaya suggested as she lifted the container that had the eggs in it.

"Sure," Sollux agreed but as he turned around with Eridan in his arms he felt the high blood's head lift off his shoulder to look in Kanaya's direction.

"Why are there only three?"


	13. Chapter 13

A heavy silence filled the room. Eridan looked from Kanaya to Sollux expectantly.

"The firtht egg broke," Sollux said quietly.

"What?" Eridan nearly shrieked in disbelief. "How? When?"

Kanaya noticed Sollux's discomfort with recounting that particular moment and decided to intervene. "Do you recall how difficult it was getting the first egg out?" she asked cautiously.

"Of course I do,' Eridan replied petulantly.

"The egg simply could not withstand the pressure, dear."

Eridan stayed silent as he processed everything. Sollux shifted a bit under the weight of the sea troll in his arms. "Sol, put me in the nursery with the eggs," he instructed finally. He would've walked in there carrying the eggs himself but after hours of labor he felt too weak to stand on his own.

"Eridan you really should get to your recuperacoon to rest," Kanaya warned.

"I'll fuckin' rest in the nursery with my eggs."

"Very well," Kanaya sighed in defeat. "Sollux, bring him to the nursery and we will get him and the eggs situated." By this point Sollux was too exhausted to be disappointed that he wasn't going to get to sleep with his matesprit yet another day. He just wanted to put the sea troll down somewhere before his arms fell off and then curl up and go to sleep.

Sollux followed Kanaya into the storage room-turned nursery. The plan for the room had been to emulate the brooding caves as much as possible in order to create the best hatching environment for the eggs. The lighting in the room was dim and a humidifier along with a few extra fans had the room feeling slightly damp and chilly. Several rocks of varying sizes were scattered about and Kanaya was kneeling down beside a shallow kiddie pool placing the three eggs into the water.

"The eggs have to stay in water?" Eridan asked as Sollux set him down beside the pool.

"If they were normal eggs conceived by two sea dwellers, yes. I am going to be treating them as such just in case any different handling is detrimental to- wait, Eridan what are you doing?"

Eridan had crawled into the shallow pool with the eggs and curled himself around them. It almost looked as if a violet tear had slipped down his face but was washed away by the water in the pool before anyone could be sure. Sollux leaned forward and placed a kiss on Eridan's wet forehead then gently ran his hand over the shells of the eggs the sea troll held against his stomach. He really hoped they weren't all dead.

Sollux could have sat there beside the pool watching his matesprit lay with their eggs forever but he felt a nudge from Kanaya.

"We should give him some time to rest," the jade blood suggested. She didn't miss the look of melancholy that settled over Eridan as he ran his fingers over the eggs. One. Two. Three- nothing more. Sollux nodded in agreement.

"I'll be back in a little while to thee if you need anything ED," the Gemini said before following Kanaya out of the room.

"You need to go get some sleep Mr. Captor. You really need it."

"I'll be fine," he waved his hand dismissively.

"Sollux," the Virgo warned.

"What are you? My luthuth?"

"I will stay here as long as you need me to in order to help take care of things while Eridan recovers. You go get some rest and I will check in on him in a little while." Sollux grumbled but finally agreed and shuffled off to his recuperacoon.

Kanaya decided to busy herself with a bit of tidying up. Just as she began putting dishes away a pounding was heard from the front door. The Virgo was suddenly worried about the noise waking Sollux up and who knew how he would react to another troll near the hive. She hurried to the door and yanked it open.

"Finally! It's about god damn time one of you bulge suckers- Kanaya?"

"Shh! Please lower your voice Karkat," Kanaya pleaded after Karkat had decided to greet whoever opened the door to the hive with an impassioned rant.

"What in fuck's name are you doing here?" Karkat demanded. "And does this hive have the shittiest reception known to troll kind or does it just become this black hole for cellular devices where no one has the means of answering their phone?"

"Really Karkat you can not be here right now. How about we take a little walk and you can tell me what you need," Kanaya suggested.

"Why in the fuck are you being so secretive? Is there something going on in there?" Karkat glared then seemed to realize something. "Wait, does this have to do with Ampora's mystery illness? Is he fucking dying?" The shorter troll just did not have the capability of lowering his voice.

"Well yes, it does have to do with that but-"

The air in the room was suddenly thick with static. Kanaya felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and she let out a shiver. "We shall talk as we go for a walk," she said as she took the Cancer's wrist and led him away from the hive.

"What the hell Kanaya?" Karkat protested as he was dragged away. "I have things to tell the other two assholes in that hive!"

"I am afraid I will have to relay the message for you."

"Is fish fuck contagious or some shit?" he asked incredulously.

"I can not say for sure," Kanaya supplied to keep up the rouse.

"So then Sollux would have it too?"

"I do have him quarantined just to be certain," she told him in a serious tone.

"Are they- are they going to die?" the short troll asked worriedly.

"Oh my goodness no!" Kanaya nearly laughed before realizing she was compromising the cover story. "I mean, they have me looking after them," she amended. Karkat still gave her a skeptical look but stopped walking.

"Look, I came out here for a fucking reason." Kanaya came to a stop next to him and was alarmed by the sudden seriousness of his tone. "It just really sucks that none of you answered Feferi's group chat." He ran his hand through his already messy hair in anxiety.

"What has happened, Karkat?" Kanaya asked in fear.

"She's been challenged," he stated. "She just went to go fight the empress. She wanted to let us all know and say goodbye just in case," he said sadly. "She especially wanted to say goodbye to those two shit for brains," he gestured back towards Eridan and Sollux's hive, "given their past history together."

"It is indeed unfortunate that we could not answer," Kanaya said sullenly.

"Yeah," Karkat continued, "she also warned us that she heard from a reliable source that the drones are supposed to be making their rounds soon."

"What?" Kanaya gasped in shock.

"She said she was going to try to beat the Condesce before they were sent out but, you know," the Cancer trailed off. Neither troll wanted to voice that there was a chance their friend wouldn't make it out of the battle alive.

"Are you going to be okay if the drones do come?" the jade blood inquired nervously. Karkat shrugged.

"I mean, it's not like the drones are checking for colors when they come around to collect," he said. "They don't give a shit if a rust fills a pail with a fuchsia as long as something is collected. It's when that pail reaches the Mother Grub that they will realize something doesn't compute with my contribution. That's when we're fucked. It's not just me that's fucked- it's Terezi too. They will know that she knew. I mean, I guess we could always play the 'she's blind and had no idea' card so that way maybe they would spare her…" he was beginning to ramble in a panicked way.

"Karkat," Kanaya cut in. The shorter troll snapped his attention to her. "Just try to remain calm. Give me some time and we will try to figure a way out of this. We still do not know for sure if they will come," she reasoned.

"Yeah, alright," the Cancer nodded. "Well just let fish face and the double dork know about everything I told you. I guess tell them I hope they get better soon," he added the last part in a grumble.

"I will," Kanaya assured. "Take care of yourself Karkat." The shorter troll nodded and headed off toward the direction of his own hive. The Virgo turned back to Sollux and Eridan's hive to deliver the news.

As soon as she had closed the door behind her she froze in place. It wasn't an intentional act on her part, but rather, she found her body incapable of moving past the front entryway. The air around her appeared to ripple and felt thick with static. She whipped her head over to the nearby couch and saw Sollux perched on the arm of the furniture piece. His eyes were glowing brightly behind his bicolored glasses as he used his psionics to restrain her at the doorway. His face was hard to read. He appeared impassive for the most part but one had to be very careful with someone who had as much power as he did.

"Sollux?" Kanaya asked cautiously.

"You were right, GA. I jutht can't deal with having anyone elthe at the hive," he acquiesced. "I don't want to hurt you but it theemth that I am having a hard time controlling what my inthticth are telling me to do." Kanaya breathed out in relief. She wasn't in any immediate danger the Gemini was merely issuing a very strong warning.

"I understand," she accepted. "Before I go I must tell you something."

"I'm lithening," Sollux said without letting up on his psionic hold.

"Karkat just came by to tell us all that the group chat from earlier was Feferi's way of telling all of us that she has been challenged to the battle," Kanaya told him.

"Shit," he hissed bitterly. He wished he had the opportunity to tell her goodbye.

"She also informed everyone that the drones are set to be making their rounds soon. If she defeats the Condesce in time we will not have to worry about them, but if not it could pose a very huge threat to you and Eridan and your eggs. It will also pose a threat for Karkat and Terezi." Kanaya felt the psionics around her weaken significantly.

"Fuck!" Sollux shouted sliding down from the arm of the couch. "What the fuck are we thuppothed to do? Eridan and I are in both fucking concupithcent quadranth together. Even if we could thomehow pull off filling both bucketh he jutht fucking laid eggth! He can't pail in thith condition!"

"Sollux-"

"We already contributed to the expansion of our thpecieth ath evidenthed by the three fucking troll eggth in the other room but nobody can fucking know about it becauthe-"

"Sollux!" Kanaya cried out causing the yellow blood to abruptly cease his pacing. Kanaya removed her trembling hand from her check and looked at the jade on her fingers. Sollux blanched as he realized that his emotional tirade had caused his psionics to spark out of control which culminated in a stray tendril lashing out at the Virgo.

"Kanaya," he breathed, "I am tho thorry."

"It's fine," she replied wiping away any blood from her face. She was shaken but not angry or upset. "I will take my leave but try not to worry about what I told you too much."

"But how can I-"

"You just focus on being with your matesprit and ensuring those eggs stay cozy until they hatch. We will be in touch," she smiled.

"I'll do my betht," said Sollux.

"I will leave my bag here in case you and Eridan can use anything in it." She opened the door and turned around. "Take care Sollux."


	14. Chapter 14

Sollux returned to the nursery to check on Eridan and found the sea troll in the exact same position he had left him in.

"Are you jutht going to lay here with them for the next four month'th?" the yellow blood joked lightly as he sat down beside the shallow pool. Eridan had no response as he continued staring off blankly. Sollux reached out a hand to stroke the shells of the eggs. He was still in awe that he and Eridan were actually able to make them.

"I just miss 'em bein' inside me," Eridan whispered. Sollux's eyes flicked over to his matesprit's face just as the violet tears began to form.

"They'd never hatch if they thtayed in your belly," the Gemini told him as he brushed his fingers over cold wet cheeks to wipe away the tears.

"At least when they were inside me they were safe from my inadequacy," the sea troll lamented.

"Eridan," Sollux pleaded. "The egg breaking wath beyond anyoneth control. You can't blame yourthelf for it." Sollux was simply repeating back what Kanaya had told him to make him feel better because in truth he still felt as though he was to blame for not being able to do something to help get the egg out of Eridan. Silent tears continued to slide down the sea troll's face as he lay hugging the three eggs against his body.

"Thith whole thing hath jutht been thomething that neither of uth wath prepared for and we've been trying our betht to figure it out as we go. It'th been- it'th been very difficult for both of uth," Sollux's brows furrowed as he was forced to think about the decision to sacrifice the low blooded grubs in order to save Eridan. "The only thing we can really do now ith wait and thee what happenth four month'th from now."

Eridan turned his head in the water so that he could get a better look at the troll next to him. He studied the creases in the Gemini's forehead that were caused by the way his brows were pinched together in concern. The lower blood's large double fangs rested over lips that were pulled down into a frown.

"You know somethin' don't you?" Eridan accused.

"What?"

"Usually when shit happens you're always tellin' me it's goin' to be alright but you haven't said that to me this time," Eridan said. Sollux looked like he wanted to say something but he couldn't figure out what exactly to say. "It's because you don't want to lie to me isn't it?" the violet blood continued.

"Eridan-"

"Just tell me what it is," the sea troll said weakly. Sollux remained silent as he worried his bottom lip between his large fangs. He didn't want to say it. He didn't want to relive that terrible moment but he knew he had to tell Eridan.

"The egg that broke," he began slowly. His hands tensed as though he could still feel the stickiness of the blue blood between his fingers. "That egg was a high blood."

Eridan's blood pusher may as well have stopped beating. No words could form in his think pan. All he could do was curl tighter around the three eggs pressed closely against him.

"Kanaya kept telling me that there thtill could be two grubth that will hatch but you know how my think pan workth," Sollux added. He decided not to mention anything about the drones or Feferi yet. Eridan had already been through enough for one night. That day Sollux slept in the shallow pool holding Eridan close against his chest as the sea troll kept as close as possible to their eggs. Sollux could feel Eridan shaking with sobs until his breathing finally evened out and he had cried himself to sleep.

It took a couple weeks for the two to get used to life with the eggs and establish a more normal routine. For the first few days Eridan didn't want to be away from them in any sense of the word. If he wasn't touching them then he was too far. Sollux felt the need to stay by Eridan's side which, of course, was right where the eggs were. The Gemini also took comfort in being able to keep the eggs in sight as well. Gradually, Eridan was able to leave the room in order to take care of his basic needs such as showering and getting food for himself. As soon as he finished whatever he had set out to do he would hurry right back to the nursery to be with the eggs. Sollux had the ability to not be in the same room as them at all times but he had developed the habit of opening the door and peeking in on them exactly every four minutes.

One night Sollux sat on the couch messaging Aradia when Eridan surprised him by entering the room fully dressed and quietly taking a seat beside him. It was the first time Eridan had worn a full outfit since he began nesting. It meant he wasn't planning on getting in any water. Sollux excused himself from his conversation and set his husktop down in shock.

"You've got your thcarf on," the yellow blood said in amazement. Eridan touched the scarf absently and played with one end of it.

"Yeah, well I've decided I'm goin' to try gettin' back to my normal activities," he explained. He was clearly still a bit uncomfortable with the idea but knew it was for the best.

"That'th good. You don't want your pothition as biggetht ath hole to be filled by thomeone elthe," Sollux joked.

"I don't know, Sol, you sure seem to enjoy fillin' in for it," the sea troll quipped back. The two grinned at each other and realized that they were back on track to resuming their normal lives.

After awhile, Eridan was able to completely get back to his regular schedule and made it a habit to check in on the eggs three times a day. Sollux was more than happy to see his matesprit back to his normal self and found himself checking the nursery in between the times that Eridan did. Of course, as usual with Sollux's life, all happy times had to eventually come to a screeching halt to usher in a new state of turmoil. As Sollux sat on the couch watching Eridan play one of the shooter games that he was abnormally good at, he decided that the high blood was probably mentally stable enough to handle the next heap of bad news that had been withheld from him.

"ED?" the Gemini asked as Eridan took out a group of enemy players from an impressive distance.

"What Sol?" the Aquarius responded distractedly while maneuvering to his next targets.

"There'th thomething I've been meaning to talk to you about." Eridan turned his attention away form the screen at the sound of the other troll's nervous tone. He still managed to press a few buttons on the controller to deliver a fatal shot to the player he had targeted even without looking at the screen.

"What is it?" he asked setting the controller down to rest in his lap. The yellow blood took a deep breath before releasing it slowly.

"The day the eggth were laid," he looked Eridan over carefully as he spoke, "FF mesthaged everybody in a group chat. GA and I didn't anthwer it becauthe there wath obviouthly thomething pretty prething that we were tending to. Of courthe you didn't even know becauthe I doubt you really cared what wath happening with your phone at that particular time."

"What exactly are you gettin' at here?" the violet blood asked impatiently.

"I'm jutht trying to let you know that there wath no fucking way any of uth could have gotten to our phoneth at that time," Sollux retorted. "What I'm getting at ith that FF wath trying to let all of uth know that she hath been called to duel with the empreth."

"She what?" Eridan asked in shock. "That was weeks ago! Has anyone heard anythin' from her?" he began scrambling for his phone. "I need to message her or somethin'!" Sollux reached out a hand and placed it on top of one of the sea troll's to ground him.

"It'th no uthe to try to contact her now ED. Believe me I've conthidered the thame thing," Sollux reasoned. "If she winth it will take thome time before she can even contact anyone becauthe she will immediately have to take the throne and have shit to do." Eridan placed his phone down in defeat.

"I suppose you're right."

"Altho, the droneth are going to be collecting thoon," Sollux added quietly. Eridan's face snapped back into a look of horror within seconds.

"Is there any fuckin' thing else you want to add to this shit storm while you're at it?" the Aquarius asked angrily.

"Nope that'th pretty much it," Sollux said feeling guilty.

"What the fuck is goin' to happen when drones come to the hive and we're hidin' eggs in here? And how exactly are we supposed to fill both buckets together like that?" Eridan questioned in frustration. "I know we flip on each other but I don't think we're capable a' flippin' that fuckin' fast, cod damn!" He growled in irritation and picked up the controller in his lap quickly resuming his game to take out his anger. Sollux almost felt sorry for the poor unsuspecting online wrigglers who happened to also be playing the game at the time.


	15. Chapter 15

Eridan maintained contact with Kanaya through Trollian to keep her informed of the eggs' well being. There were still two and a half months left until they were expected to hatch so they had done little more than just sit in the shallow pool of water while, hopefully, the grubs inside grew and developed. Sollux still felt bad about not being able to control himself to have the jade blood actually be able to stop by but Kanaya was very understanding. The main thing on most everyone's mind was what they were going to do when the drones showed up for collecting.

No one had heard any news of Feferi and the hope that she could stop the drones from coming was beginning to flicker out.

"Do you and Sollux have a plan yet?" Kanaya asked during her video call with Eridan. The high blood had brought his husktop into the meal block with him as he prepared dinner.

"Honestly, Kan," Eridan said as he placed his dish in the oven to bake, "we don't have a fuckin' clue what to do. The only strategy we can come up with is to just fill both pails and hope we are able to pull off a flip successfully enough for both pails to qualify. If we give 'em what they need hopefully they'll leave the hive without noticin' the eggs."

"Or grubs, depending on how long it takes them to come," Kanaya added. Eridan rubbed his eyes underneath his glasses.

"Cod Kan, that'll be a fuckin' nightmare tryin' to contain movin', livin' grubs long enough for me an' Sol to fuck twice then get the drones on their way." He poured himself a glass of water and took a sip. "Have you worked out what to do with Kar and Rezi yet?" Kanaya gave an uncertain look and tilted her head slightly.

"Perhaps? We were thinking of staging an attack at their hive. If it appears as though the residents of the hive were killed then it would explain why the hive would be empty. In the meantime I am trying to speak with some associates of mine to arrange for Karkat and Terezi to be hidden in one of the brooding caverns," the jade blood explained.

"That all sounds complicated," Eridan said as he took another sip of his drink.

"It is quite exhausting," the Virgo admitted. "But these are trying times and I can only hope that we will all make it through them successfully." Eridan hummed in agreement then went to peek into the oven before returning to his husktop.

"Sol won't shut up about how sorry he is that he ended up gettin' ya with his light show," the sea troll said with an eye roll.

"I have told him time and time again that I am not upset nor hurt from it," Kanaya covered her mouth to suppress a giggle. "I completely understand. I was the one to warn you about how powerful and unpredictable a troll's natural instincts can be."

"I'll see if I can beat some sense into him," the Aquarius muttered with another sip of his beverage.

"Oh, Eridan?" Kanaya asked suddenly. The violet blood lifted his eyebrows in question. "In order to stage that attack at Karkat and Terezi's hive we are going to need to use some blood. We obviously can not use Karkat's so we will need for someone to volunteer some to use in the staging."

"Whey can't you just use Terezi's?" Eridan asked with a frown.

"We are using hers but we will need one more. The hive was obviously home to two trolls. It must look as though two trolls were killed in the attack." When Eridan still appeared skeptical she added, "I can not use my own because as a jade blood it would raise suspicions."

"So you are askin' me if you can take some of my blood to splatter all over a hive?"

"In a round about way, yes."

Eridan appeared conflicted and opened his mouth to say something before closing it and turning around to the oven to remove his dish. Sollux entered the meal block and grabbed a can of soda from the fridge.

"Hey babe, that thmellth great. Ith it done? What'th wrong?" he asked as soon as he saw the way his matesprit's brow was furrowed and how he gave off the impression that he was literally biting his tongue. The yellow blood noticed the husk top sitting open on the counter with Kanaya waiting patiently on the screen.

"Hey GA, what'th up?" Sollux greeted taking a step closer to the screen.

"Hello Sollux. I was just telling Eridan that the plan we have come up with to try to hide Terezi and Karkat involves the necessity of another troll's blood," Kanaya recapped.

"Blood?"

"Indeed. The plan is to stage an attack at their hive in order to make it seem as though they were killed. We are going to place Terezi's blood around the scene of the attack but we need one other troll's blood and it can not be my own," Kanaya elaborated.

"Oh," Sollux seemed a bit surprised and glanced over towards Eridan who seemed to be busying himself with serving two portions of the dinner he had made. The pieces finally clicked into place in Sollux's mind and he looked back at Kanaya.

"You can uthe mine if you need to. Anything that'll help out KK and TZ," he offered.

"Thank you very much Sollux," Kanaya smiled gently.

"It'th the leatht I can do to help out. Bethideth, we owe you for everything you've done to help uth with our thituation," said Sollux.

"Your generosity is very much appreciated. I will be in touch when we will need the blood and we will go from there. You two have a lovely evening."

"You too," the Gemini waved.

"See ya, Kan," Eridan finally spoke up before the call disconnected.

"Are you really thtill having problemth with that?" Sollux turned to Eridan and asked as soon as the two were alone. Eridan clenched his jaw tight and reached around Sollux to get to the silverware drawer. "It could thave KK and TZ'th liveth and you thtill hesitated." Eridan extracted two forks from the drawer before slamming it shut and dropping a fork on each plate with a clatter.

"I've been fuckin' workin' on it for sweeps an' you know it! It's a damn improvement from how it once was so don't give me that shit," the sea troll picked up a plate and shoved it at Sollux. "Eat your fuckin' dinner."

"ED, we are talking bout our friendth potentially being murdered and-"

"They're just goin' to throw it on the walls or some shit! I can't just have my blood thrown about all over the walls like it's from some common low blood! It'd be a fuckin' waste to use it like that," Eridan snapped.

"It would be to throw the droneth off of KK and TZ'th trail tho they don't get culled for KK'th blood color! How ith that a wathte?" Sollux shouted back. "And don't you thtart on thith whole low blood hoof beatht shit again. Blood color doethn't matter and FF ith going to make sure of that," he asserted.

"How can we be so sure she's even still alive, Sol? Without Fef around to make it so the hemospectrum will always matter and that's the way it's always been. Learn your place- FUCK!" Sollux's fist collided with Eridan's jaw catching him off guard.

"Don't thay that about FF you fucking ath hole! You may have improved from the way you uthed to be but you thtill have a long way to go if that'th how you feel about it." Sollux picked up his plate of food he had set on the counter. "Thankth for making dinner douche finth," he grumbled before leaving the meal block. Eridan glared after him before abandoning his own plate of food in favor of following Sollux out into the living room. The yellow blood set his plate on the coffee table and was about to have a seat on the couch when he noticed Eridan approaching.

"What now?" the Gemini demanded before Eridan had suddenly closed the space between them with a kiss full of fangs. Sollux reached up and dug his claws into the high blood's shoulders which only made the Aquarius growl before pushing the double horned troll down onto the couch. Sollux hissed when his back hit the cushions and his psionics crackled around the two of them. There was a moment where they both glared into each other's eyes with such heated anger and intensity it was nearly palpable.

"You are thuch a conthieted pompouth douche," Sollux seethed, actually spitting with each word he lisped. He lunged forward to connect their mouths once again but the kiss was cut short by Eridan biting down on his lip and pressing him further into the couch. The high blood licked the trail of yellow blood off his lips and stared down the other troll like a predator cornering its prey.

"The old me," he began dangerously as he unfastened Sollux's pants and yanked them down his thighs, "would have been absolutely disgusted to learn that his future self had reproduced with the likes of low blooded scum such as yourself," he leaned down and hissed quietly in the Gemini's pointed ear. Sollux growled low in his throat and Eridan unfastened his own pants to free his writhing bulge. "But now," he said dropping his hips low over the trapped troll beneath him, the tip of his bulge slid over Sollux's in search of the lower blood's warm nook. "Now I'm completely fine with it." He thrust completely into the psionic who bit down on his bruised lips to keep from calling out.

"Good to know you dethided to low your thandardth," Sollux panted. Eridan rewarded his remark by leaning down to sink his teeth into the nape of his kismesis's neck and began pounding into him at an unforgiving pace. The low blood allowed himself to let out a groan and he reached up to wrap his hands around the cold arms that held him down, digging his claws into the exposed flesh.

Eridan moaned when he felt his blood well up around Sollux's claws. With each thrust the psionic was forced back against the cushions of the couch and the front of Eridan's pants was getting soaked with both of their fluids. After a few moments Sollux gasped and had to use his psionics to bring their bucket to the couch.

"Get off fith dick," the yellow blood warned irritably.

"I'm sorry what was that?" Eridan asked with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"I need to get to the fucking bucket you ath!" Sollux moaned the last part as Eridan bucked his hips into him at a different angle.

"Actually," the sea troll said in a low voice close to the low blood's ear, "I was thinkin' of returnin' the favor."

"Wha-"

Before Sollux could even finish asking, Eridan gave one last hard thrust and spilled his genetic material deep inside of his partner. Sollux was forced to ride out his orgasm away from the bucket as his own fluids mixed with Eridan's running down his thighs and drenching the high blood's pants as well as the couch.

"Fuck!" Sollux shivered and Eridan laughed as a mix of pleasure and disgust crossed over the Gemini's face. The violet blood's bulge was already retreating into its sheath as he pulled away from the mess beneath him and refastened his wet pants. He took a look at the couch and frowned.

"That'd better not stain," Eridan remarked in distaste.

"Oh sure, our main conthern at the moment ith the well being of our couch and not the fact that you jutht fucking uthed me as your bucket," Sollux snapped.

"Like I said, I was only returnin' the favor," the high blood shrugged. Sollux attempted to sit up more and grimaced as more violet material leaked out of his nook and ran down his legs into his pants bunched around his thighs.

"When I did it it wath an accident you piethe of shit!" the yellow blood defended.

"Well whatever," Eridan said dismissively. "Clean that up for me will ya, I've got shit to do." He walked off before Sollux could object and went to towel off his legs and change into clean underwear and pants. Sollux was fuming as he pulled his pants back up to absorb most of the material before he fully stood from the couch. He caught sight of the now cold plate of food sitting on the coffee table that Eridan had cooked. He gave it such a look of contempt it was as if it had failed its job of preventing its creator from being such and insufferable asshole. Sollux knew it wasn't really the plate of food's fault but he couldn't help but feel a bias against it being that it was made by the hands of his kismesis.

By the time the hacker troll had made it to the respite block to grab clean clothing to change into Eridan had already moved on this his next order of business which meant any further confrontation had been avoided. Clothing in hand, Sollux set out to lock himself in the ablution block to take a hot shower before attempting to tackle working the stains out of the couch. Eridan had decided to check in on the eggs and sat by the edge of their pool of water stroking their rock colored shells lightly. The claw marks on his arms had already formed thin scabs that may possibly scar later on. He almost hoped they would. Any marking caused by Sollux were always welcome to him because it was just more physical evidence that showed Sollux was his.

Eridan emerged from the nursery and entered the meal block to reheat his dinner around the time Sollux got out of the ablution block and set to work on cleaning the couch. Luckily, he was able to lift the stains and the two of them wouldn't have to worry about anyone else ever finding out about their little mishap. The yellow blood came into the meal block carrying his plate of food to reheat when he found Eridan in there as well. He shoved his plate into the microwave then turned to the sea troll to shoot him a glare. Eridan met the other troll's glare with his own then leaned in to capture his warm lips in a kiss. It was still a rough kiss was a bit too much teeth but right after they parted, Eridan returned for a shorter, softer kiss. They shared an almost-smile between the two of them before their moment was cut short by a sharp knocking on their front door.


	16. Chapter 16

"Did Kanaya thay anything about coming over?" Sollux asked apprehensively.

"No," Eridan shook his head, "she's waitin' until you can keep your shit together before she comes back by." Sollux shot him a glare and the knocking came again. The two shared a look before venturing out of the meal block to find out exactly who was at their door. They knew it couldn't be Karkat or Terezi because they were too busy preparing to go into hiding. It also wouldn't be Aradia because she had told Sollux that she would wait for whenever he was ready to open up to her again and had been content with chats over Trollian.

This was where Eridan and Sollux's natural instincts differed slightly. When the two entered the living room Eridan held back near the opening of the hallway that led to the rest of the blocks in the hive, but, most importantly, it led to the nursery. His thoughts were just to stay close to the eggs and protect them at all costs. Sollux cautiously approached the door. His instincts told him to protect both Eridan and the eggs. He was the first line of defense, so to speak, against any attackers. If they managed to get through him it would mean that he would be dead and it would then be up to Eridan alone to protect the eggs.

The knocking rang out a third time sounding more impatient when Sollux finally reached the door. He took a deep breath, already on his guard, and swung the door open.

"Hey loser," Vriska greeted Sollux in that irritating way where she would draw out the vowels in her words.

"What do you want?" the Gemini asked as he tried not to sound too entirely surprised. He certainly wasn't expecting to see her on his doorstep and she wasn't as much of a problem as the drones would've been but he still saw her as a threat regardless.

"Is the Prince of Suck around? I need to speak with him," the cerulean blood said in a bored tone. Sollux glanced back to where Eridan was standing guard near the hallway then turned back to his visitor.

"Couldn't you have jutht pethtered him on Trollian or thomething?" he questioned. Vriska shrugged.

"I could have but a house visit is much more annoying and inconvenient isn't it?" she grinned. Sollux rolled his eyes.

"Fine. Make it quick," he relented before turning to Eridan in the hallway. "It'th for you." Eridan looked surprised as he wandered over to the doorway. Sollux stepped away but still lingered close in the background.

"Hey Eri-dork. Jeez, you've put on a few pounds haven't you?" Vriska cackled at her own jab. The violet blood scowled and fought against the slight flush of embarrassment. He'd been trying to lose the weight he'd gained during his pregnancy but it was hard, especially when Sollux kept so much junk food around the hive.

"What are you doin' here, Vris?" Eridan spat irritably.

"Easy there, Tubs, you might start breaking a sweat," Vriska laughed.

"I haven't even gained that much!" Eridan shouted defensively. "If you're just goin' to stand there an' call me fat then I'm goin' to slam this door right in your face." This made Vriska grin with a glint in her eyes.

"I see you're still easy to get worked up. I was thinking, in light of recent events, how about you and I start up our old rivalry," she moved her eyes down to Eridan's slight pudge then back up again. "It looks like you could use a good rivalry."

Eridan was shocked by Vriska's true motives for visiting and opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say anything Sollux did the talking for him.

"Did you theriouthly come all the way over here to offer him your black tholithitationth?" the psionic asked angrily. He already felt on edge for having another troll at the hive near his quadrant mate and eggs, but seeing said quadrant mate get hit on right in front of him was too much for him to handle at once.

"Might as well come in person and do it properly," Vriska said.

"Tho you do it right in front of hith kithmethith."

"Um, no?" Vriska seemed slightly confused. By this point Eridan had just been watching the back and forth between the two. "You made it abundantly clear at Terezi's wriggling day party that the two of you are now red."

"I'm flattered by your offer, Vris, but I'm goin' to have to decline," Eridan finally spoke up. "Sol is my kismesis and my matesprit." Vriska looked between the two males and noticed Sollux's bruised neck and cracked lip as well as the scabbed over claw marks on Eridan's forearms.

"I see," she smirked. "At least I'm not the only one that's going to be screwed once the drones come. Who knows? Maybe I can find someone else to fill that quadrant."

"Have you heard anything?" Eridan asked worriedly.

"Oh they're out there," the Scorpio said in a serious tone. "A couple of people in my guild said they've seen them. People have been culled. Who knows when they'll come for any of us." Eridan looked back and exchanged a concerned look with Sollux. "I wish the two of you luck," Vriska said in one of her rare moments of compassion.

"Thankth. You too," Sollux nodded.

"See you around, Vris. Hopefully," Eridan told her.

"Bye losers," she smiled even though it looked a little forced and waved as she turned to leave. Eridan closed the door and turned back to Sollux.

"You don't think this means that Fef…" he couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence.

"I don't know," Sollux answered hollowly. For the fist time since he found out she had gone, his faith in Feferi had been shaken. He was always so sure she would succeed. He sat on the couch and ran his hands through his hair anxiously. Eridan watched his partner as he worried his lip. "Maybe you should take her up on her offer, ED," Sollux finally said quietly.

"What are you talkin' about, Sol?" Eridan breathed in shock.

"Be in her black quadrant. That way you'll at leatht be able to fill both pailth when the droneth come," the Gemini explained in defeat.

"No!" Eridan protested. "You are my kismesis, besides that would be cheatin' on you."

"It wouldn't be cheating if I'm telling you to do it dumbath," Sollux laughed despite himself. "I would jutht fill the red pail with you."

"Why are you doin' this?" the violet blood asked in confusion. "What about you?"

"I'm doing thith becauthe we both know we can't fill both pailth and get away with it. Thith way at leatht one of uth will make it out of the collection alive to protect our grubth," Sollux's voice wavered as he tried to hold himself together for Eridan's sake. The sea troll pursed his lips as the reality of their situation crashed over him like a tidal wave.

"I won't do it," Eridan said stubbornly and balled his hands into fists at his sides. "We have to find some other way. I don't want to be with anyone but you."

"It'th not really about what we want right now, ED," Sollux sighed.

"We'll find another way," Eridan repeated then stormed off down the hall. Sollux knew exactly which room his double quadrant mate was headed for and figured he should probably pay that room a visit as well. It had been a few hours since he had last checked up on their eggs.


	17. Chapter 17

Sollux sat alone in the nursery with his husktop in his lap as he worked on a code for a new virus. Eridan had remained obstinate over the past couple of weeks insisting that they could figure out a way for them to both survive the impending drone visit. He really hoped his matesprit was right although he highly doubted it, then again he was known for being a pessimist.

He looked over at the eggs that sat in the pool beside him. There were only two months left before they would hatch. He wondered if it would take that long for the drones to arrive so he could at least see if any of his grubs had survived. The Gemini reached out to run his fingers over the smooth surfaces of the shells when his husktop pinged with a new message. He gently touched each egg before withdrawing his hand and looking at his computer screen.

GA: We Are Ready To Stage The Attack. When Would You Be Available?

TA: anytiime'2 good ii gue22

GA: …

GA: You Do Realize That We Will Require Your Presence At The Vantas-Pyrope Hive?

Sollux felt a drop in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't leave his hive that would mean leaving Eridan and the eggs alone. What if the drones came while he was gone and culled Eridan on the spot?

TA: Kanaya ii can't do that ii can't leave eriidan and the egg2.

GA: I Understand That It Is Difficult. Ultimately The Decision Is Up To You. As I Have Mentioned To Eridan, These Are Trying Times And We All Have Difficult Choices To Make.

Sollux stared at the screen for a long moment. He didn't want to not help his friend especially since it was a life or death situation. He also didn't want to leave his matesprit and eggs which could potentially turn into a life or death situation.

TA: how long would iit take?

GA: It Depends On How Well Your Body Handles Blood Loss. You May Lose Quite A Bit Of Blood Doing This And May Require A Bit Of Rest Afterwards.

TA: ii don't care how much blood ii've lo2t ii need two get back here two ED a2 2oon a2 po22iible.

GA :…

GA: Sollux, You Know I Cannot Allow You To Do That.

TA: FUCK! let me talk two eriidan about thii2.

Sollux placed his husktop on the floor beside him and once again looked over at the eggs. "I hope you guyth appreciate how much shit we're going through to keep you thafe," he told them then sighed and stood up. "I'm talking to eggth that can't hear me and might not even be alive," he said to himself. He went to the ablution block where Eridan was taking a shower.

"Sol? Is that you?" Eridan asked from behind the glass of the shower door.

"Yeah I'm in here," Sollux answered as he made his way to the load gaper.

"How are they?" the violet blood asked while lathering his hair.

"Thame ath alwayth," the Gemini said as he relieved himself into the load gaper then flushed and went to the sink to wash his hands. "Eridan?" he called out uncertainly once he was ready to broach the topic.

"What?"

"Kanaya jutht methaged me and told me that they're ready to uthe my blood," he informed his matesprit.

"I suppose that means they're about to go into hidin' then," Eridan said solemnly after a moment. He rinsed his hair and shut off the water when he had finished his shower. Sollux directed his eyes to the high blood once he had opened the glass door to the shower and began toweling off.

"I'm going to have to go to KK and TZ'th hive for them to be able to uthe my blood," Sollux said.

"Well they can't very well use it from here," Eridan replied as he stepped out of the shower.

"Don't you underthtand what that meanth, ED?" Sollux implored. "I'm going to have to leave you and the eggth alone in the hive."

"Yeah I get what it means, Sol," Eridan reassured as he toweled off. He was somewhat confused about why his matesprit seemed so desperate in the situation. Surely he wouldn't be gone for more than a few hours. "As long as you're back before the drones get here I don't see what the problem is."

"The problem ith," Sollux began irritably, "that you don't theem to underthtand that every fiber in my being ith telling me I need to protect you and them and yet you're telling me that it ith perfectly fine to jutht leave you alone in a time of imminent danger." Eridan wrapped the towel around his waist and glared at Sollux for a moment.

"I can take care of myself, you know. I'm not some defenseless fuckin' wriggler," the sea troll defended. "In fact, even if I was a wriggler I'd still be perfectly fine because while you had the leisure of growin' up sittin' at your computer all day fuckin' around I was out killin' other trolls' lusii so that we all wouldn't be killed. You're welcome, by the way."

"I know that you can take care of yourthelf, Eridan," Sollux groaned in exasperation. "It'th jutht- ugh- fine, I'll jutht go," he relented. "I will be coming back ath thoon ath I fucking can though. If you were thtill pregnant there would be no quethtionth athked, no way in hell I would be leaving you alone."

"Well I'm not still pregnant, thank cod, and I'm perfectly capable of defendin' myself and our eggs," Eridan declared then stepped passed Sollux to leave the ablution block and head to their respite block. Sollux followed and remained silent as Eridan dressed. Once all of his clothing was in place, the high blood approached his worried matesprit and wrapped his arms around him.

"Go do what you need to do, Sol," Eridan said quietly. "Me an' the eggs'll still be here when you get back."

Sollux returned the hug and buried his face in the nape of the sea troll's neck taking comfort in his scent. "I'll go let Kanaya know that I'm ready," he sighed.

An hour later the Gemini was approaching the front door of his friends' hive. It would have taken him less time if he hadn't needed to sit with the eggs running his fingers over their shells for nearly long enough to have ever bump and curve memorized. He had also refused to leave until Eridan had actually brought his gun out into the living room and had promised to sit beside it at the ready in case anyone did come to attack.

The sharp scent of fresh blood hit Sollux like a slap in the face when he stood directly in front of the door to rap his knuckles on it. A moment later the door creaked open slightly before being pulled open enough for Kanaya to motion for him to come inside quickly. The smell of blood only got stronger as he stepped inside and it was immediately apparent why. Splatters of teal colored blood dotted the floor and dripped from the walls. It really did look like at least one troll had been culled inside the hive.

"Where'th TZ?" Sollux asked in unease.

"She's over here on the couch," Karkat said nearly startling Sollux as he stood from the couch. The mutant blooded troll came over to where his friend stood to observe the next part of the plan.

"Terezi got a bit… over enthusiastic about making her part look authentic enough," Kanaya stated as she began pulling supplies out of a bag she had brought with her. "I have instructed her to rest for awhile. Please have a seat Sollux," she gestured to a tall chair that had been pulled up to the meal block bar. Sollux glanced over at Karkat who stood with his arms folded and a frown set on his face as he took his seat. He looked down at the supplies laid out on the counter and felt a twinge of nervousness as he saw a packaged needle among them.

"I am going to be taking Karkat and Terezi into the brooding caverns as soon as you and her have recovered from the blood loss," the jade blood explained as she moved Sollux's arm onto the counter and wiped the skin around the fold of his elbow with a sterile soaked piece of cotton. She opened the packaged needle and another package containing a thin spool of clear plastic tubing.

"Tho how exactly are we doing this?" Sollux asked and Karkat wandered back over to the couch to check on his matesprit.

"This needle is hollow," Kanaya said as she attached one end of the plastic tubing to the end of the needle. "When the needle is inserted into your vein the blood will flow through the needle and tube to drain here," she positioned the end of the plastic tube inside a pan. "Make a fist for me," she instructed as she held the needle. Sollux flexed his hand into a fist which he noticed made the vein in his arm more apparent. He looked away when Kanaya brought the needle down to stick him directly in the vein.

"Very good Sollux," she soothed. "We have already started to collect." Against his better judgment he peeked over at his arm to see that the tube was no longer clear but instead a solid yellow as his blood flowed through it. He looked away quickly.

"You will still be able to contact me while I make sure that they stay hidden so please do so when that time comes," the Virgo told the double horned troll as she looked him directly in the eye hoping to get her message across. Sollux understood that she meant when it was time for the eggs to hatch. The unspoken mention of the eggs sent a small jolt of panic through him as he was reminded that he had left his hive and couldn't protect them or Eridan in his current position.

"How much longer ith thith going to take? I need to get back home," Sollux shifted in his seat anxiously although he was mindful of the needle draining blood from his arm.

"Just a bit longer, dear," Kanaya responded calmly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, is helping your friends not get killed that much of an inconvenience for you?" Karkat snapped as he came back over from the couch.

"Fuck off, KK. You aren't the only one at rithk of being culled by the droneth," the Gemini replied hotly.

"What could you and your fucking royal blooded matesprit possibly have to worry about when the drones come, hm?" the Cancer demanded. "What could a perfectly acceptable yellow blood and a troll that is one step below being the fucking ruler of our species have to worry about?" Karkat glared at Sollux as he awaited an answer. The psionic opened his mouth to speak then closed it a few times before he decided on an answer.

"You know what? Fuck it! We all might die anywayth tho I'll jutht tell you," Sollux said angrily. "You know what we have to worry about? That we are in both of each other'th red and black quadranth tho when the droneth come we have to figure out how to flip red to black and fill two pailth fatht enough not to get culled. Of courthe if we manage to pull that part off, there'th alwayth the fact that ED and I have troll eggth in our hive."

"Wait- what?" Karkat asked in confusion. "How did you get troll eggs? Why do you have troll eggs?"

"We have them because they are ours," Sollux explained tensely. "We made them and Eridan laid them. Now we're waiting on them to hatch. Of courthe there'th alwayth the added bonuth of waking up every night not knowing whether or not I'll get to thee my own damn grubth hatch." Karkat stood in open-mouthed shock for a moment as he tried to process what Sollux was telling him.

"How- what-" he stammered before finally finding his words. "That's not even possible! Troll's don't lay eggs, the Mother Grub does which is why we are all in this fucking mess to start with!" he shouted then turned to Kanaya. "Can you talk some sense into him?" he gestured to the Gemini who sat anxiously as his blood continued to drain.

"I am afraid he is telling the truth, Karkat," the jade blood responded calmly and checked the progress of how much blood had drained into the pan. They just about had enough.

"What?" Karkat's eyes widened in disbelief. "You of all trolls actually believe that those two shit for brains had their own eggs?"

"I do," Kanaya nodded. "I helped deliver them into this world."

"You what!"

"You remember that wriggling day party and whenever you would come over to my hive you thaid you thmelled thomething weird?" Sollux questioned.

"Yeah, what about it?" the Cancer raised an eyebrow dubiously.

"ED wath pregnant during those timeth. You were thmelling hith pregnanthy pheremoneth."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Karkat seemed about ready to explode.

"Karkles? What's got your panties in a bunch?" Terezi's voice asked weakly from the couch. Karkat immediately returned to her side to check on how she was doing.

"Oh it's nothing, just Sollux telling me that apparently him and Eridan have somehow defied the laws of biology and laid their own eggs. So, you know, no big deal," he said sarcastically.

"There actually is a perfectly logical biology behind the whole thing," Kanaya told the angry troll as she began removing the needle from Sollux's arm. She taped a wad of gauze over the vein and instructed him to keep his arm bent to apply pressure. "I will explain it all to you while we are in the brooding caverns," she offered.

"Oh good," Karkat rolled his eyes. "At least that way I'll learn something while I'm in hiding so I don't get killed for existing." The mutant blood sat next to Terezi on the couch in a huff and placed the back of his hand on her forehead to see whether she was still clammy feeling or not.

"You should go sit down in the recliner with your feet up Sollux," Kanaya told him sternly. "You look a bit pale and it will help with blood circulation."

"No I'm fine," he said stubbornly. "I need to get back home." He stood from his chair and immediately felt the world begin to spin and darkness began creeping into the edges of his vision. "Fuck!" he hissed.

"Now you really do not look well," Kanaya observed. She held onto the psionic's arm and helped guide him to the recliner and then put his feet up. "I will bring you some juice," she said then retreated to the meal block.

"So is it true, Appleberry?" Terezi asked in intrigue once Sollux began sipping on the juice he was given. "You really have your own eggs?"

"Yeth. Three of them," he confirmed as he tried patting down his pockets for his phone. "I really should text ED. How long hath it been? Fuck, I can't believe I've left them for thith long," he panicked and sent a text to Eridan to make sure everything was okay.

"You know that Eridan is perfectly qualified to protect himself and the eggs," Kanaya reminded him as she carried the pan of yellow blood around to strategically place splatters in various places.

"Holy shit. This is a real thing. You guys are serious about this," Karkat said in surprise as he realized there was no longer a chance his friends were trying to joke with him.

"It'th why I haven't wanted you in my hive for the patht few month'th, dipshit," Sollux sighed. "I'm highly uncomfortable with anyone being around them." He went quiet as he sipped his juice then spoke up again softly, "They might not even be alive anymore."

"What?" Karkat asked in surprise. "What makes you say that?"

"Eridan'th body couldn't handle any low blooded grubth tho we had to terminate them," the Gemini said with difficulty. "Then while he wath laying them one broke and turned out to be a high blood. What if the retht are low bloodth?" his voice was barely above a whisper. The room was quiet save for the sounds of Kanaya pouring the blood out of the pan.

"I bet I could tell you," Terezi spoke up.

"What?" Sollux asked.

"If you let me get near them to give them a good sniff I could probably tell if they're a high blood or not," she explained. "I don't know if you know this or not, but I'm pretty good at sniffing things. Because, you know, I'm blind," she grinned. Karkat groaned at his matesprit's sense of humor.

"You really think you could do that?" Sollux sat up a bit in the recliner.

"I could give it a shot," Terezi shrugged.

"Do you really think you would be able to let her near your eggs, Sollux?" Kanaya asked cautiously. Sollux thought about it for a moment. The thought of anyone other than himself or Eridan anywhere near his eggs nearly made his skin crawl. He wasn't entirely sure he could take it, but he was willing to give it a try just so he could at least know if there was a chance any of his grubs were still alive.

"I could give it a shot," he ended up repeating Terezi's answer with his own lopsided grin.

"I would be interested in seeing these things that you and Fish Face ended up somehow making," Karkat said casually.

"I am just about finished placing the blood. Perhaps once we leave we will stop by Sollux's hive to try this experiment," Kanaya told them as she continued to work.

"That would be good," Sollux said as he felt a bit hopeful that maybe Terezi's plan would work and he could finally know if any of his eggs would hatch. "Hey Kanaya?" he called.

"Yes Sollux?"

"ED and I were talking and we realized we don't really know what the grubth should call uth," he admitted. "We aren't actually luthuth tho that would be weird if they called uth that. It altho didn't theem right for them to jutht call uth by our nameth either. What do you think?"

"That is a good question," Kanaya mused. "I will give it some thought and get back to you on that."

"Thankth."

"I just can't wrap my head around this," Karkat piped up again. "One of my best friends is somehow going to essentially be a lusus. The friend that sits on his ass for days on end without eating or sleeping so that he can make a new computer virus is now going to be responsible for raising grubs into trolls," he ranted. "On top of that, the genetics used to create these grubs come from two of the biggest assholes I know!"

"I must admit, even I am curious to see what sort of offspring result from the combination of you and Eridan's genetics," Kanaya giggled. She finally used up the last of the blood and began to pack her supplies away into her bag. "Is everyone feeling well enough to depart soon?" she asked. Sollux sat up more and put the footrest of the recliner away to determine how he was feeling. He didn't seem to be light headed or dizzy anymore so he gave an affirmative response. Terezi was sitting up fully and the color had returned to her face so she seemed to be doing better as well.

Everyone was on their feet getting their things together for what was to come.

"What should I do with thith juithe?" Sollux asked.

"As much as I hate to say it, I think it would be best if you just left it as is," Kanaya admitted. "It would help make the hive look like its inhabitants were suddenly attacked." Sollux glanced back at the juice cup and felt strange leaving it out at someone else's hive but he understood the reason.

"Are we ready to go?" Kanaya asked. "Did you get everything you needed, Karkat?"

"Yeah, let's just go," the Cancer grumbled. He looked around at his hive wistfully.

"Alright then. We will head to Sollux's hive quickly then go straight to the brooding caverns," the jade blood announced. Sollux took out his phone to send a text to Eridan to let him know he was bringing everyone back to the hive with him. Before he could do that he noticed he had a new text from Eridan. He opened it and nearly forgot how to breathe.

"I think you all need to go ahead to your hiding plathe," the yellow blood finally managed to say.

"What is wrong, Sollux?" Kanaya asked in alarm. Sollux passed her his phone with the text message still on the screen.

CA: i just shot gam i dont knoww wwhat to do


	18. Chapter 18

When Sollux got back to his hive he wasn't really sure what he was expecting to find. The purple blood just outside his door, too dark to belong to his matesprit, left an unsettling feeling in his gut. He stepped inside and did a quick visual inspection of the living room. Nothing appeared out of place and it was quiet.

"Eridan?" he called out in apprehension. He didn't know if his quadrant mate was injured or not but the thought crossed his mind that if he was Gamzee was going to wish he was dead if he wasn't already. Sollux took a few more steps further into the living room and picked up on Eridan's scent. He should have figured the sea troll retreated back to the nursery out of fear for the eggs.

He found Eridan stationed next to the eggs in their pool of water with his gun beside him. He looked visibly shaken and the second he noticed Sollux in the doorway he let himself crumble.

"Thank cod you're here," Eridan choked back a sob. "I didn't know what to do! It all happened so fast-"

"What happened? Where ith GZ?" Sollux questioned and entered the room to check over the eggs for confirmation that they were okay. As soon as he was satisfied that they were all unharmed he moved on to sit down on the floor beside Eridan to make sure he wasn't hurt. He took both of Eridan's ringed hands in his own and inspected them for blood as the Aquarius spoke.

"I don't know where he is. Fuck, I don't know where he is! The last thing he said to me was 'you're goin' to regret this, motherfucker.' He wasn't outside when you got here?" he asked worriedly.

"He wathn't. Hith blood wath," Sollux stated and let go of his matesprit's hands in favor of running his fingers through his two-toned hair soothingly. "Why wath he here?"

"He was lookin' for you apparently," Eridan said beginning to calm down and lean into Sollux's touch.

"Me? Why?"

"Said it was some sort of computer issue that he wanted to get your opinion on. I told him you weren't home and that seemed to be that. He was about to leave when I think he caught a whiff a' the eggs or somethin'. He started goin' on about how it wasn't right for us to be hidin' miracles in our hive," the sea troll paused to take a deep breath. "He got like that at Rezi's wrigglin' day party. It's like he gets to lookin' at ya' like a' piece a' meat. There must be somethin' about the smell of the eggs that makes him want to destroy 'em."

"He tried to go after them?" the Gemini asked in surprise.

"He tried to get into the hive," Eridan said clearly reliving his experience in his mind. "I couldn't think about anythin' except makin' sure he didn't get to 'em. I just grabbed my gun an' shot him before he could make it passed the door. That's when I slammed the door shut an' locked it. I heard him say that last bit through the door."

"Did you get hurt?" Sollux asked finally. Eridan pulled up one of his sleeves to reveal two long scratches. They weren't very deep but they had been enough to draw blood to the surface.

"It's fine. Just stings a bit," Eridan explained. "What do you think he meant by sayin' I'll regret this? What's he goin' to do?"

"I don't know," Sollux sighed and wrapped an arm around the other troll to bring him close. "I really don't like the idea of having to look out for the droneth and now him too."

"How'd it go at Kar's place?" Eridan asked and reached over to brush his fingers over the shells of the eggs.

"It went pretty good. They know about thethe guyth now," Sollux answered looking over at the rock colored eggs Eridan was touching. The violet blood froze and looked back over at Sollux. "It'th fine. KK didn't believe me at first though. I wath going to bring them all over before they went off to the caveth for hiding but when I got that methage from you they went on ahead."

"Why would you bring 'em here?"

"TZ thaid she might have been able to thmell the eggth and tell if any of them are high bloodth," Sollux said quietly. "I know it would have been hard to let her get clothe to them but I jutht really want to know," his voice strained with a bit of desperation.

"They're due to hatch soon Sol," Eridan pointed out.

"I know but, jutht- what if we aren't here when that happenth? I jutht want to know if we actually have a chanthe at having a grub or if they're all dead," Sollux said with his fear showing through. The two fell into a silence as they sat close to one another watching the three eggs that lay in the calm shallow water of the pool. The water cast rippling shadows on the ceiling of the dimly lit room. Eventually they noticed how close it was getting to daybreak and reluctantly made their way to the respite block to retire to their 'coon. Eridan made sure to keep his rifle within reach.

The days and nights seemed to tick by quickly and the two were becoming exhausted. They were constantly on edge wondering when and if the drones would show up at their hive. They still couldn't decide on a solution to that looming issue. There was also now the added stress of not knowing what Gamzee could possibly be planning against them after being shot by Eridan. They couldn't be certain if Gamzee was even still alive after the attack. Sollux had cleaned a rather large amount of dark purple blood off his front steps that led all the way to the road in a trail of droplets. Eridan had tried asking around but no one had seen the clown-like troll since the night of the attack. It seemed like he had completely dropped off the radar.

The main issue that occupied their minds above all else was the fact that they were now down to a matter of days before the eggs were due to hatch. They had known this was coming for months and had spent the entire time mentally preparing for it as well as preparing space in their hive for it but they still didn't feel like they were ready. If they were being honest they didn't feel like they would ever fully be ready. Eridan was now in contact with Kanaya as much as her situation allowed. He had a constant stream of what-if scenarios to run by her to which she did her best to answer. Sollux remained in the room during many of these conversations and would occasionally toss in a question or two.

"Okay but Kan, hear me out on this one- what if it starts to hatch but can't seem to get the shell open on its own? Do I help it?" Eridan asked anxiously during a video call with Kanaya.

"The rule of thumb is to try to intervene as little as possible. Let nature run its course," Kanaya answered patiently. "Oh, is Sollux nearby? I have some information for him."

"Right over here GA," Sollux responded from behind Eridan on the couch. He had been sitting there for hours working on a commissioned code.

"Excellent. I believe you asked me about how the grubs should address you two since you are not actual lusii," she began.

"Oh yeah. Did you find thomething on that?" he asked with interest.

"Indeed. It took awhile to find something that pertained to the subject of custodial duties that was not also about lusii. Eventually I discovered that in a different part of the universe there is a species of mammals that are called humans. Humans are raised by two custodians for a greater part of their lives. It is truly fascinating, but I am getting a bit off topic. Typically these human custodians are made of male and female pairs although other combinations are possible. The female is called a mother or mom. The male is called a father or dad," Kanaya took a moment to pause.

"I think the grubs have hatched an' moved out on their own already now, Kan," Eridan teased.

"I apologize but I did not expect to find my research to be so enthralling. You should give it a read sometime," she suggested.

"I'll consider it," the sea troll crossed his arms.

"Tho what you're thaying ith, the grubth could call both of uth dad?" Sollux asked.

"It is an option, yes," Kanaya answered.

"That might get confusin'," Eridan thought out loud.

"Maybe," Sollux mulled it over. "I like the thound of it though."

"I am sure you will figure it out in time," said Kanaya.

"So when the grubs hatch what do they eat? What do we do?" Eridan asked.

"Well once they have hatched they should just be regular grubs like ones that are laid by the Mother Grub. This is good because there is a vast expanse of information known about grubs in the brooding caverns so the mystery surrounding them after being conceived in an ancient manner will be over," she told them. "The only thing that will remain unique about the grubs made by you two is that their genetics are much more strongly similar to their ancestors, which are you. Unlike everyone else who has a little bit of genetic make up from several different blood lines and colors, your grubs are technically speaking more pure blooded."

"Pleathe don't uthe wordth like 'pure blood' around ED you'll thtart putting ideath in hith think pan," Sollux rolled his eyes. Kanaya laughed a bit at that.

"I assure you that having grubs with a more direct blood line will make little to no difference," she said. "As for what grubs eat, you should be able to just-"

There was a sudden loud knocking coming from the front door. Kanaya heard it over the video connection and paused her thoughts as Sollux and Eridan shared a troubled look. The knocking came again persistently and the jade blood remained silent as Sollux placed his husktop aside and stood to answer the door. His psionics were already sparking and Eridan could feel static in the air. The Gemini opened the door prepared to fight but within a matter of seconds his psionics were diffused and he had his arms full of an upset moirail. Eridan watched his matesprit at the door with vigilance. He couldn't see exactly what was happening that would cause Sollux's psionics to stop but soon the yellow blood was leading Aradia into the hive as she clung to him. Eridan visibly sighed with relief and turned back to Kanaya on the screen of his husktop.

"It's just Ara," he explained and the Virgo let herself relax.

"What'th wrong, AA?" Sollux asked his shaken moirail. She pulled herself away from him to meet his bi colored gaze.

"I'm fine, I guess the shock of everything is just catching up to me now," she wiped the moisture away from the corner of her eye.

"What happened?" he pressed. Aradia took a deep breath and let it out before continuing.

"I was just visited by the drones," she said with a shaky breath.

"Holy shit," Sollux muttered in disbelief. "They really are coming. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I mean, I'm alive aren't I?" she laughed a bit to try to make light of the situation.

"Gueth you're right. How'd it go though? What happened?" he asked. Eridan and Kanaya held off on their conversation to listen to what Aradia had to say.

"Well they showed up unexpectedly and gave me time to contact my concupiscent quadrants to let them know. The drones waited outside the whole time. There's two of them. I guess in case one needs backup," the rust blood explained. "They allow time for your quadrants to get there but it seems like the longer they have to wait the more frustrated they get. It was honestly terrifying. I wouldn't want to make them wait for very long." Aradia hugged onto Sollux once again. Eridan clenched his jaw as he watched the display. He knew he shouldn't be jealous of his matesprit's moirail but it was difficult to watch the Gemini be affectionate with anyone else. Especially since he had reproduced with Sollux.

"Can we just get in a pile or something?" the Aries asked her yellow blooded moirail. "I really need a feelings jam."

"Yeah, sure," Sollux agreed still stunned by the news. He still had Aradia on his arm as he scanned the room thinking of where he could set up a pile. His bi colored eyes met a pair of irritated violet ones.

"Don't even fuckin' think about goin' in that one room," Eridan warned.

"I wathn't going to, fuck."

"Go set up in the office," the high blood told him then turned back to Kanaya on the screen in front of him. Sollux detached himself from Aradia and went over to the couch to grab the purple blanket off the back of it. He decided to lean down and place a reassuring kiss at the base of one of Eridan's horns. The violet blood and the two females that had witnessed the kiss blushed furiously. Aradia even modestly averted her eyes. Many things that involved directly touching another troll's horns were reserved for concupiscent quadrant mates only. They were gestures that required absolute trust between both trolls and the gesture Sollux had just done was considered a very intimate one between matesprits. With blanket in hand, Sollux set off to gather all other blankets in the hive and tossed them all together on the floor of the computer room to build a pile.

"May I ask what's up with the forbidden room?" Aradia asked as she watched Sollux build the pile.

"Why do I get the feeling that you already know?" he responded with his own question.

"Because I can talk to the dead," she answered and settled into the pile beside Sollux once he was finished. "The ghosts were all talking about a very interesting visitor a while back. That's why I figured you needed your space."

"How many?" he asked hesitantly.

"I can't really be certain. One for sure. How many were there supposed to be?" she replied.

"Four."

"I'm so sorry, Sollux," Aradia grabbed his hand comfortingly. "I still don't know the full story though. All I know is that there was a spirit present." Sollux settled himself in as he prepared to retell what had been happening in his life for a serious feelings jam session. In the meantime, Kanaya was finally able to get back to answering Eridan's questions.

"Getting back to the point," the jade blood cleared her throat, "grubs will hunt for various insects that they find throughout the cave they hatched in. I suggest catching some insects from outside your hive and releasing them into the nursery for your grubs to hunt down. I know it may be difficult, but do not hand feed your grubs. They need to experience hunting for their own food," she told him sternly.

"I can't say I'm fond of the idea of settin' bugs loose inside my hive, but as long as the grubs are properly eatin' then I guess it's alright," said Eridan.

"They will only be in the grub phase for a short while, anywhere from two to four weeks. That is when they will enclose themselves in a cocoon and molt for the first time into a bipedal troll," Kanaya added.

"How long will they be in the cocoon?" Eridan asked sounding a bit disappointed.

"That depends on how quickly each individual develops. Typically it lasts between two to three months," she giggled at the pout Eridan had on his face. He realized what he was doing and changed his face to more of a scowl to cover it up.

"It just sucks because I'll only have 'em for a short while before they go hole up in a cocoon somewhere," he defended.

"Once they emerge you will be able to have all the time you could possibly want with them," Kanaya assured him. "Besides, you are going to be very busy while they are in the cocoon stage."

"I am?"

"You are indeed," she nodded. "Would you want your respite block to look like a cave? This is when you will need to re decorate the nursery into something more suitable for wigglers instead of for grubs. You will need to get a recuperacoon for them and take all of those rocks out of there. Make it less cave-like," she explained.

"I'm sure Sol will love all a' that," he said sarcastically.

"I am still not certain as to whether I will be able to be there in person when the eggs hatch but do keep me informed," said Kanaya. "Be sure to check on them frequently now that it is getting closer to time."

"Of course," Eridan agreed.

"I must go now. I have already been away far too long. I need to tell Karkat and Terezi of Aradia's news. Be careful, Eridan," she pleaded.

"I'll do my best. Tell Kar an' Rezi hello for me," he said. Kanaya nodded and waved then the connection was terminated. Unsure of what else to do, Eridan went back to the nursery and looked at each egg carefully to check for any signs of hatching. Seeing none he settled back in a spot near the shallow pool that he had set up for himself and picked up the book he kept there to begin reading where he had left off.

By the time Sollux entered the nursery to find him, he had fallen asleep with the book resting on his chest.

"Hey," the Gemini greeted as he sat down and prodded Eridan awake. The violet blood opened his eyes and looked over to his matesprit. He wrinkled his nose at how much Aradia's scent had rubbed off on him but laid his head down on Sollux's shoulder regardless.

"We need to figure out what in the fuck we're goin' to do when the drones come," Eridan mumbled.

"Yeah… we really do."


	19. Chapter 19

After nearly an entire night of discussion, Eridan sat at his desk in front of his computer screen as he video called Kanaya on Trollian. Sollux remained anxiously nearby as the connection dialed and he felt his stomach clench when the jade blood answered.

"Eridan? Is everything alright?" she asked worriedly, most likely due to the hour he was calling.

"Kan, Sol an' I have made a decision about the drones an' we wanted to tell you in person. Well, as in person as we could," Eridan started out getting right to the point.

"I am listening," she pressed. The sea troll glanced over at the nearby psionic and worried his lower lip between his sharp teeth before turning back to the screen.

"We have decided that if- when- the drones come to our hive we want you to take the eggs," Eridan said as steadily as he could. "Should any a' them hatch we feel that you would be their best bet for survival."

"Oh," Kanaya seemed stunned.

"We know you kind of have a lot on your plate right now," Sollux cut in coming to stand behind his matesprit and be in view of the camera. "I mean, you don't have to agree to thith if you don't want but ED and I…" he trailed off as he thought about what was to come.

"We don't reckon we'll be makin' it out of our drone visit alive," Eridan finished the thought. "There's just no way we can fill both pails in time an' I refuse to pail with anyone else," the sea troll cast a glance over at Sollux as he remembered the yellow blood's offer of self sacrifice so that Eridan could fill the caliginous pail with Vriska.

"I see," Kanaya said as she processed the weight of what was being said. "Well, as you know, I have been quite enthralled from the beginning of this unexpected phenomenon. I would have no problem raising your wigglers for you should the need arise. It is true that it is somewhat of a task keeping Karkat and Terezi hidden, but they are fully capable of caring for themselves otherwise which is why my hands are not too full to take on caring for wigglers." A look of subdued relief was apparent on both Eridan and Sollux's faces. "That being said, I do hope that the need for me to foster your offspring never arises," the jade blood added solemnly.

"We do too, Kan," Eridan agreed.

The nights went on in agonizing uncertainty. Eridan and Sollux had nearly reverted back to their constant checking in on the eggs that they had done the first few weeks after they had been laid. This time simply peeking in on them wasn't sufficient. A careful inspection of the surface of the shells had to be done each time one of them entered the nursery to check for signs of hatching. A message was sent to the group chat from Nepeta informing everyone that the drones had been to visit her. She was fine but the troll that lived a short walk away from her had been culled. Eridan and Sollux pailed frequently, never knowing how much time they had left together.

Eridan decided he had put off catching bugs for the nursery long enough and went outside to spend a few hours collecting them. He had managed to get two jars filled when suddenly Sollux burst out of the hive in a flurry of psionics.

"ED!" the yellow blood shouted breathlessly. "It'th cracked- there'th a crack!"

"What are you goin' on about?" Eridan asked and looked over to where his matesprit was in the doorway of the hive nearly bouncing in excitement.

"One of the eggth! It lookth like it'th hatching!"

"What? Right now?" Eridan grabbed his jars and ran over to where Sollux was. The psionic led him quickly back to the nursery and Eridan set the jars of bugs down on the floor before eagerly going over to where the eggs sat in their pool of water. Sure enough, the smooth rock colored surface of one of the eggs had a small webbing of cracks near the larger end of it. The sea troll looked back over to Sollux. "Are we sure this is it? It's not broken or anything?"

"It hath to be it," Sollux reasoned. "It'th in the right time frame for it and there'th no way it could have gotten broken with how we've been taking care of them."

"We need to let Kan know," Eridan suddenly realized then hastily pulled out his phone to contact the jade blood. He decided to call her after realizing he didn't have the patience to type out his entire message.

"Eridan?" the Virgo answered her phone in surprise.

"They're hatchin', Kan! Well, one is hatchin' but the rest should be too," the violet blood's words rushed out of his mouth.

"Take a breath, dear. The eggs are hatching?" she repeated calmly just to be sure she had heard correctly.

"Yes, can you get over here?" he asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid I cannot at the moment," Kanaya said with disappointment evident in her voice. "There have been sightings of drones visiting hives near the caves and I must remain here to ensure Karkat and Terezi's safety. I was really wanting to be there to see this moment, but you and Sollux should be able to handle it."

Eridan moved his mouth away from the phone to speak to Sollux, "She can't make it." Sollux nodded in acknowledgement and went back to observing the eggs for any signs of movement. "Is there anythin' else we should know about the hatchin' or anythin' else about grubs? I just don't think I'm ready for this," Eridan began rambling.

"You will do just fine, Eridan. You and Sollux. The only thing I can think of to tell you is not to help the grub break out of the shell. They must do that on their own," said Kanaya.

"ED, it moved a little bit," Sollux said suddenly.

"It's movin', Kan!" Eridan repeated excitedly.

"I wish you two the best of luck," Kanaya told him. "I must go now but I will try to be by as soon as I can."

"Thanks. Good luck to you too," the violet blood responded then ended the phone call. He moved back closer to where Sollux sat at the edge of the shallow pool. "She says we should have no problem handlin' this," Eridan said still sounding a bit uncertain. A faint tapping sound was heard and the two adult trolls looked back down to the egg to see it shift to the tiniest degree. A few more lines were added to the cracks in the shell.

"Holy fuck," Sollux said after a moment. "There'th really a living thing in there." Eridan remained silent and his eyes flicked over to the other two eggs that still sat inert.

"Do you think the room is ready enough? I know I'm probably goin' to have to catch more bugs," Eridan continued to fret.

"Relax, Eridan," Sollux said quietly and reached for his matesprit's cold hand. He felt the ring that he had given the high blood as he laced their fingers together and stroked his thumb over the chilly hand. "We can figure thingth out ath we go." Eridan huffed but accepted Sollux's gestures of comfort. They sat on the floor attentively watching the egg not wanting to miss a single detail of the hatching.

The egg didn't move again until nearly a full five minutes later. The tapping was heard again and stopped when the shell cracked further and a fragment broke away from the center of the webbing of cracks. All was quiet and still for a few moments then the egg shifted much more visibly and more tapping came accompanied by the sound of the shell cracking more. Another fragment of shell fell off leaving a small dark hole. The egg rolled onto its side in the water with the hole facing up and stayed still once again. Just as Sollux was glancing at the other eggs beginning to grow a bit concerned, a tiny squeak came from the hole of the hatching egg. Eridan and Sollux shared a look with each other and Eridan squeezed Sollux's hand lightly.

The tapping resumed until enough pieces of shell had broken off for a small black grub leg to stick out. It appeared that the grub was using one of its legs to break the shell apart bit by bit. A majority of one end of the shell was now quite cracked and the egg shifted again. A larger section of shell became dislodged but still remained barely attached. A second grub leg emerged from the larger hole followed by another faint squeak.

"Shouldn't the others be hatchin' by now too?" Eridan nearly whispered.

"I don't know, ED," Sollux answered quietly.

The grub inside repositioned and pushed against the larger half of the shell that was nearly in pieces. Movement could be seen through the hole in the shell but in the dim lighting of the room it was hard to make out. The larger half of the shell gave a louder cracking sound as it separated nearly completely from the rest of the egg, opening like a hinge almost. The grub within gave a more easily heard squeak as it wiggled around and its head became more visible before it took a moment to rest.

Eridan felt his eyes water against his will as he saw his grub for the first time. His free hand found its way over to his stomach and he rested it there lightly as he felt a pang of fondness knowing that he had made this newly hatching grub inside himself. The grub lay mostly inside its egg still as it took a few moments to gather its strength. Its short black hair was damp from being inside the shell and its small horns were the beginnings of what would clearly grow into the lightning bolt shape of Eridan's. The grub turned its head as it began to wiggle out of its shell. It made it out up to its second set of legs before stopping again breathing heavily.

Sollux inhaled through his nose then breathed out, "ED, look." The psionic was looking at the ear fins on the sides of the grub's face and the rich violet color of what was showing of its body. Its large eyes remained closed as it resumed struggling out of the shell. Sollux reached out intending to try to help it along.

"Don't," Eridan said suddenly to stop him.

"What?" the Gemini asked caught off guard.

"Kan said not to help the grub get out of the shell no matter what. It's one of those important things it has to do on its own," the violet blood said.

"But it'th tho clothse," Sollux said in frustration.

"I know but we have to let- them?- do it on their own. How do we know what sex the grub is?" Eridan asked as he suddenly realized he had no idea.

"Maybe Kanaya can tell?" Sollux shrugged. The grub went back to wiggling the rest of the way out before resting again on top of the fragments of shell. The grub's gills could be seen faintly moving as it lay in the shallow water.

"They're so small," Eridan remarked.

"Yeah," Sollux agreed as he watched the grub intently. Neither troll had ever seen an actual grub before in person and knowing that this one was now theirs to care for was surreal. "A violet blood," Sollux said out loud. "I gueth you two will have a lot in common," he nudged Eridan beside him. Eridan smirked and rolled his eyes.

"I wonder if we can touch them?" Eridan asked. The grub looked as though it would span across both of Eridan's palms put together. Sollux couldn't take his eyes off the newly hatched grub. The sound of Eridan's phone vibrating pierced the stillness of the room and the grub squeaked fluttering its tailfin in the water. The violet blooded adult looked down at his phone to check his new message and missed seeing the grub squeeze its eyes shut tighter before opening them for the first time.

"Holy shit," Sollux gasped in surprise.

"What?" Eridan snapped his attention up from his phone and looked frantically over to Sollux first to find out what was wrong. He just saw a goofy crooked grin on his matesprit's face that exposed his oversized double fangs. Eridan looked back down at the grub and saw a large set of red and blue eyes staring back at him.

"A psionic?" Eridan asked in shock.

"That'th what it lookth like," Sollux said in amusement. "Can't be completely sure until we thee dithplayth of it."

"I don't think a sea dweller has ever had psionics. Not naturally, at least. I'm not countin' how the Condesce fabricated them for her own use," Eridan said. "It isn't exactly normal."

"Tho what are you thaying?" Sollux asked getting a bit defensive.

"I'm just sayin' that if anyone were to see a sea dweller with psionics it would probably be taken as a mutation an' they might be at risk of bein' culled," Eridan explained.

"Yet another reathon to hope FF ith thtill alive," Sollux muttered grimly. "What wath that about?" he asked gesturing to the phone Eridan was still holding.

"Oh. Kan says she's on her way over. She was able to get a trusted ally to keep an eye out for Kar and Rezi," the high blood said. Sollux nodded in acknowledgement.

"Do you think they're hungry?" he asked motioning toward the grub.

"Maybe?" Eridan said uncertainly. He got up to shut the door to the room and grabbed one of the jars of bugs to bring back to where the grub was now beginning to explore the rest of the shallow pool. He pulled a disgruntled face before unscrewing the lid and laying the jar on its side to let the bugs crawl out gradually near the pool. The new parents watched one of the insects get closer to the grub. The grub squeaked and lifted its head out of the water sniffing the air. Its large dual colored eyes locked on to the insect and it let out a few excited chirps before swimming through the water towards its prey.

The infant violet blood clambered up onto the rocky edge of the pool waving its tailfin behind it for balance and blinked its red and blue eyes at the bug. After a brief pause for calculation it charged toward the bug and grabbed it in its mouth. The grub chewed messily with its sharp little fangs and chirped happily after swallowing. Sollux grinned at the display and Eridan felt a smile tug at his lips. The grub spotted another insect and hunted it down as well. The doorbell rang after the grub had eaten three more insects and it squeaked in fear and dashed back into the pool to submerge itself in the water. Sollux got up to answer the door and Eridan stayed beside the pool to watch the grub.

Sollux re entered the room with Kanaya close behind him. "The grub has hatched, then?" she asked eagerly as she was led over to where Eridan sat.

"Yeah the doorbell scared them a bit," the Aquarius told her as she sat beside him on the floor.

"Oh goodness," she chuckled as she peered into the pool to see the grub that was beginning to re emerge from the water. "A psionic violet blood?" she questioned when she saw the infant troll.

"Sol isn't completely sure on that," Eridan said.

"Oh?" Kanaya asked and looked back at Sollux as he sat down on the floor as well.

"I haven't theen any power from them yet. We'll jutht have to wait and thee," Sollux elaborated.

"I see. Hello there, little one," Kanaya cooed to the grub. It chirruped and approached her with curiosity. The jade blood held out her hands in a welcoming gesture and the grub crawled over to her and was picked up into an embrace.

"So we can touch them?" Eridan asked.

"Of course," Kanaya responded surprised that this wasn't well known information. "You can pretty much do whatever you want with her. She is your grub. Well, do not hand feed her and make sure she at least sleeps and eats primarily in the simulated cave nursery. Otherwise, you may do anything you please."

"Her?" Sollux and Eridan asked in unison.

"Yes?" Kanaya blinked. "This grub is female."

"We had no idea," Sollux said. "How can you even tell?"

"It is most likely one of those jade blood things," Kanaya explained.

"Well at least now we know," Eridan said as he watched the Virgo cuddle his new grub.

"Have you named her yet?" Kanaya asked. The grub crawled up her arm to perch on her shoulder.

"Uh," Sollux looked over at Eridan sheepishly. "No we haven't."

"You have not picked her up or named her. What have you two been doing with her?"

"We fed her," Eridan said sweeping his arms out across the room to emphasize the bug population.

"We've been watching her," Sollux added. The grub looked over at Sollux and squeaked then crawled up Kanaya's hair to be on top of her head. The jade blood giggled at the grub's adventurous behavior.

"Well I believe you should come up with a name for her. I brought a certificate of hatching with me. I am going to sneak it into the files so that when the grub is older she does not encounter any problems being an undocumented troll," she told them.

"The other eggth haven't shown sthignth of hatching yet," Sollux said quietly. "Do you think…"

"Give them until the end of the week," Kanaya said gently. "I have seen some eggs hatch ahead of the rest of their clutch." Sollux still didn't look placated but nodded anyways. Kanaya reached up and took the grub off her head and held her out to Sollux. "I am going to prepare a pot of tea if you do not mind. You two can think of a name in the mean time." The Gemini took the grub carefully in his arms and soon she was crawling up his shoulder too.

"Do you remember where I keep the tea, Kan?" Eridan asked.

"Yes dear, I will bring you a cup as well when it is ready," she answered as she stood and brushed a few bugs off her skirt. She left for the meal block and meticulously prepared a pot of some of the rather expensive tea Eridan kept on hand. It was a brand she did not personally get due to the cost but knowing Eridan, he had the funds to spare. When she returned about twenty minutes later with the tea kettle and three cups on a tray Eridan was cuddling the grub in his arms. "We've got a name decided," Eridan announced triumphantly.

"Is that so?" Kanaya asked placing the tray down and carefully pouring tea into two of the cups. Sollux waved her off from pouring the third for him.

"Yes. It invokes power and regality," Eridan continued.

"It'th alright," Sollux shrugged.

"What is the name?" Kanaya asked before taking a sip of her tea.

"Psidon," Eridan answered. "Much like the myth of Poseidon."

"That sounds lovely. That is what you are certain you are going with?" she asked and pulled a slip of paper from within the folds of her blouse. "Once it has been written on the certificate it can not be changed." She took out a pen and began filling out most of the information needed for the certificate.

"We are sure," Eridan confirmed.

"Sollux, would you like to do the honor since Eridan has his hands full?" Kanaya asked as she handed the pen and paper over to the yellow blood.

"Sure, why not?" he answered taking the pen and paper. He looked down at it to find the line for "name" and wrote _Psii_ then mentally kicked himself for doubling the "I". He realized he would be going over he letter limit if he just kept writing the name so he thought of a way to fix it. He finished filling it out and handed the paper back to Kanaya along with the pen.

"Psiion?" the Virgo read aloud.

"You fuckin' doubled the "I" didn't you?" Eridan accused. "Seriously Sol?"

"It thtill thoundth like a good name," Sollux defended.

"Yeah I suppose," Eridan rolled his eyes. "I can't believe you fuckin' did that."

"So her name is Psiion now?" Kanaya asked.

"Looks like it since someone can't fuckin' write," Eridan told her. He set the grub, Psiion, down on the edge of the pool to reach for his cup of tea.

"I believe that suits her marvelously," Kanaya smiled.

"What wath it you told uth that other thpethies callth their male luthuth?" Sollux asked.

"I believe the two terms I discovered were dad and father. I looked more into it and found a few more terms for it. There is daddy, papa, and, oddly enough, pops," she said. Eridan set his tea cup down and picked up the grub once again. He held her in view and she looked at him with her big red and blue eyes.

"Your name is Psiion now because your daddy has a stupid ass typing quirk that fucks up his ability to write properly," Eridan told the grub.

"Fuck you, ED," Sollux shot back.

"I am very interested in seeing what the grub grows up to be like considering this is how her first few hours of life have been," Kanaya laughed and sipped her tea.


	20. Chapter 20

Neither Sollux or Eridan got much sleep the first day after Psiion hatched, despite Kanaya having told them that under normal circumstances grubs were able to live perfectly fine on their own in the brooding caverns until they went through the trials. Even then, only the strongest grubs survived the trials to be chosen by a lusus. Eridan and Sollux knew very well that they themselves had been through exactly the same process when they were grubs, but they still fretted over leaving their grub alone in the nursery while they slept.

"This may actually pose a problem in the future," Kanaya had informed them. "All grubs hatched on Alternia must go through the trials to be certain that only the strongest live to contribute their genetics to the further progression of our species. Your grub has no trial to overcome and is being housed in a hive protected by two adult trolls. Do you see the paradox in your situation?"

When the sun finally set and the moons came out Eridan groggily pulled himself out of the recuperacoon and shuffled into the ablution block for a shower. Sollux got into the shower with him when he was halfway done and began rinsing the sopor slime from his body. The psionic looked barely awake and Eridan could have sworn he saw his matesprit fall asleep in the spray of the water a few times.

"Why don't you go back to sleep for a few hours?" Eridan suggested.

"Gotta thpend time with Thiion and check on the other eggth," the Gemini murmured. Eridan sighed and grabbed his towel then stepped out of the shower.

"I'm goin' to check on her as soon as I'm dressed. I guess you can meet me in there," the violet blood said receiving a grunt in response. He dried himself off and left the room with the towel wrapped around his waist. Once he had re entered the respite block he chose his outfit for the day and dressed absent mindedly. He ran a hand through his damp hair to push it out of his eyes decided not to style it for the night since he was just planning on essentially lounging around the hive.

Once dressed, Eridan made his way out of the respite block down the hall to the nursery and opened the door slowly. He almost didn't expect to find a living grub on the other side of the door because the hatching the night before almost felt like a dream. The Aquarius stepped inside the room carefully and quietly closed the door behind himself before looking around in the dim lighting to find his grub. He stepped closer to the shallow pool and heard a few splashes followed by tiny squeaks. Psiion clambered out of the water and scurried over to where Eridan was crouching down to greet her.

"Good evenin', Psi," Eridan said to her with a stupid grin on his face that he couldn't hold back. Psiion approached him and leaned her face out to sniff at one of his ringed hands before nuzzling her head against it. "Is that your way of sayin' hello?" Eridan asked. Psiion turned her head and began gnawing on one of Eridan's rings. "Hey now, don't chew on that," he reprimanded and pulled his hand away from her. "We can get you your own rings when you're older if you like 'em so much." He looked over at the other two eggs that remained in the water. "I suppose you wouldn't happen to know when those two plan on hatchin'," he asked the little grub. She looked up at him with her large red and blue eyes.

The door to the nursery opened again and Psiion looked over at it with interest as Sollux entered. The psionic approached where his matesprit was seated on the floor and saw their grub watching him from near one of Eridan's knees. "Hey Thiion," he said to her as he remained standing.

"You look like hell," Eridan remarked.

"Thankth ED," Sollux replied easily shrugging off the insult. "How about we bring her out into the retht of the hive for awhile?" Sollux suggested. "I've got thome work I need to get done."

"You think she'll be alright?" Eridan asked glancing down at the small grub.

"Kanaya thaid she should be able to go anywhere in the hive, right?" Sollux asked.

"Yeah she did," Eridan confirmed. "Alright I guess we can take her into the livin' room."

"How are they doing?" the Gemini asked tilting his head towards the other two eggs that remained in the water.

"Nothin' different," Eridan sighed reaching over to lift Psiion into his arms then standing up with her. Sollux pursed his lips and his eyes lingered on the other eggs for a moment longer then he turned to leave the nursery. Eridan followed behind him carrying Psiion and made sure to shut the door to the nursery to keep the bugs inside.

Sollux got situated on the couch and brought his laptop over to himself to open it and began working on his latest project. Eridan sat beside him and held Psiion out to make eye contact with her. It was difficult because she kept squirming and looking around at her new surroundings.

"Psiion," Eridan said to her to get her attention. She turned her head and focused her large mismatched eyes on the adult troll. "This is the livin' room," Eridan explained. "I'm goin' to put you down so you can explore a bit alright? Stay out of trouble," he said and Sollux scoffed.

"Yeah, I'd keep an eye on her if I were you ED. You really think a grub ith going to lithen to that?" the psionic said from behind his computer screen.

"Well I don't know," Eridan huffed. "I have no experience around grubs and neither do you," he pointed out. Sollux merely shrugged and went back to focusing on his work. The sea troll scowled at his matesprit then turned back to the grub in his hands. "Anyway, Psi, if you need anythin' at least one a' us will be right here," he said then set the little grub down on the couch beside him. Psiion crawled tentatively over the couch cushion until she reached the edge where she peered down at the floor. She seemed to give it a moment of thought before leaping down onto the floor and pausing to look at everything around her and sniff the air. Her tailfin waved in the air as she stood up on her third set of legs to get a better view. Eridan watched her in awe for a moment before turning to Sollux to see that he had even paused his typing to watch the grub over the top of his computer screen.

"We made her, Sol," Eridan said in wonder. "We made a livin' breathin' thing."

"Yeah," Sollux nearly whispered.

"Do you think we shoulda' gotten her some toys or somethin' to play with?" the violet blood asked as he watched the grub explore more of the room.

"Maybe. I gueth that would've been a good idea," Sollux said.

"I'm goin' to see if I can find somethin' for her," Eridan said. He went out the front door to see if he could find anything of interest somewhere out in the yard. Sollux gave Psiion another look then smiled and went back to his work. It wasn't until several minutes had gone by that Sollux realized the hive was suspiciously quiet. He paused his fingers over the keyboard and scanned the area for any signs of his grub. A loud crash came from the meal block followed by distressed squeaks. Sollux nearly threw his laptop aside on the couch in his haste to get up quickly and ran into the meal block to see what was going on.

As soon as Sollux entered the meal block he saw a large puddle of coffee forming on the floor as it flowed off the counter from the now shattered pot that had been sitting out. "What the fuck!" he shouted and quickly grabbed some paper towels to sop up the mess on the counter. The coffee had been a day old and was cold to the touch as it soaked through the paper towels. "Thiion?" he called out looking around for the little grub. He heard a few squeaks coming from the direction of the sink. The yellow blood left the paper towels and approached the sink apprehensively before looking inside. It looked as though Psiion had jumped into the basin and hid in the corner of the sink out of fear after accidentally breaking the coffee pot. "How the hell did you get up here?" he asked in surprise as Psiion tried to climb back out of the sink. Her little black insect legs kept sliding on the smooth surface preventing her from making much progress. She squeaked in frustration and furrowed her brow.

"I've got you," Sollux told her as he scooped her out of the sink. "Are you hurt?" he asked turning her this way and that to check her over for injuries. She wiggled in his grip to get back down for more exploration. "Alright, alright," he said putting her down on the floor. "Try not to break anything elthe while I clean thith up," Sollux sighed. He grabbed more paper towels to soak up the rest of the coffee and threw the glass pieces away. Psiion watched for a few minutes before scrambling off to find something else to do. The door to the hive opened and shut as Sollux was throwing away the soggy paper towels.

"Sol?"

Sollux immediately recognized something was wrong by the tone in Eridan's voice. He sounded shaken. The Gemini rushed out to the living room to find his matesprit and saw him still standing by the door looking pale.

"What'th wrong?" Sollux demanded.

"I just saw 'em. They were out there. The hive down the road a ways," Eridan tried to explain.

"Who? What?" Sollux asked.

"The drones. They're at the hive down the road." Sollux felt his blood pusher stop.

"Go get Psiion. I'm going to see if I can find out more information," Sollux said quickly then sat back on the couch to grab his laptop and open up the group chat. Eridan set off to find the little grub and ended up bringing her out of the office to return to the couch with her. She squirmed and gave protesting squeaks as Eridan held onto her.

"Psiion, hold still," Eridan told her sternly. "This is a serious situation an' we need you to be good, understand?" The little grub blinked her large eyes at him and stopped struggling in his grasp. Eridan looked over at the screen Sollux had pulled up in front of him to read what was being said in the group chat.

TA: doe2 anyone know iif the drone2 vii2iit hive2 iin order? ed 2aiid he ju2t 2aw them at the hiive down the road. ii don't hear hii2 voiice iin my head 2o ii have no fuckiing clue what two make of thii2 becau2e we aren't goiing two make iit out of our vii2iit aliive.

AT: tHEY vISITED tHE tROLLS iN tHE hIVE dOWN tHE rOAD fROM mE,,, bUT hAVEN'T bEEN tO vISIT mE,,, sO,,, uH,,, i'M nOT sURE

AC: :33 when they came to my cave they also visited the trolls down the road furrom me and they didnt survive…

GA: I Am Not Certain If They Follow A Set Pattern. Based on What Everyone Has Been Saying It Seems Indiscriminate.

AT: i sTILL hAVEN'T hEARD aNYTHING fROM gAMZEE,,,

TA: that ii2 the la2t thing ii want two be reminded of riight now. FUCK! ii ju2t want two know whether me or ed are about two be fuckiing murdered riight now. ga be on 2tandby.

GA: Understood Sollux. I Wish You The Best Of Luck In Your Situation.

AC: :33 standby? what fur?

CT: D- - Nepeta, now is not the time to be questioning the final wishes of the trolls we know.

twinArmageddons has logged off-

caligulasAquarium has logged in-

AC: :33 where did pawlux go?

CA: sol wwent to check outside to see if the drones are still vvisible

\- arachnidsGrip has logged in-

AG: What have I missed so far in this loser party? I don't feel like going 8ack and reading it all.

AT: tHAT'S nOT vERY nICE vRISKA,,, sOLLUX aND eRIDAN mIGHT bE iN bIG tROUBLE

AG: Yeah yeah. Calm down over there Pupa don't hurt yourself.

CA: wwell i see youre still alivve

AG: Of course! I always figure a way out of sticky situations. 8ecause I'm a winner. How's that diet working out for you?

CA: can you be fuckin serious for twwo bloody seconds you pathetic wwaste of fuckin space

AG: Two? That's cute. May8e you should take the h8 flirting down a notch. I mean, I'm flattered, but our kismesises can see this.

GA: That Is Enough, Vriska. This Is A Dire Situation. Eridan, Has Sollux Returned With Any News?

CA: jiongjlflkyionhmbmmmmmmmmmmmoijddddddd

AC: :33 umm…

CA: sorry

CA: dropped somethin on the keyboard

Eridan lifted Psiion quickly off the keyboard of the laptop where she had wiggled out of his grip and landed. She had gotten curious about all the colored lines of text popping up on the screen. Sollux re entered the hive and reclaimed his place on the couch as well as his computer. He glanced at the screen then looked over at Psiion once he saw that she had keyboard smashed in the chat.

caligulasAquarium has logged out-

twinArmageddons has logged in-

TA: ii 2tiill don't hear ed's voice iin my head. iit almo2t look2 liike the drone2 are ju2t 2tandiing out there doiing nothiing.

apocalypseArisen has logged in-

GA: They Might Be Waiting For The Occupants Of The Hive To Gather Their Contributions.

AA: S0llux are y0u 0k? I was just skimming 0ver the c0nversati0n s0 far. S0rry f0r n0t being 0n s00ner I was 0ut at my dig site.

AA: They c0uld just be waiting like Kanaya said.

CC: I called t)(em off.

TA: ff?

AC: :33 Fefurry?

GA: Feferi?

AG: Woah.

The responses were all nearly simultaneous and the rapid message notifications caught Eridan's attention. "FF just showed up on the chat," Sollux informed Eridan in disbelief.

"W-what?" He stammered. In his shock he completely didn't notice that Psiion had started gnawing on one of his rings again.

CT: D- - Your Highness.

GA: Is It True Then? You are Now Our Presiding Empress?

CC: Yes but it )(asn't been easy. I won but just barely.

TA: are you alright ff?

CT: D- - You should not address your Empress with such informality low b100d. Show some respect.

CC: It doesn't matter. Sollux is a frond )(e can call me by a nickname if )(e wants. Besides, under my rule blood color won't matter.

AC: :33 we nefur even saw you log on!

CC: O)(! T)(at's just )(ow my tablet is. It pretty muc)( keeps me logged on all t)(e time.

GA: How Are You Doing?

CC: I'm getting betta! Like I mentioned, I won but not by muc)(. I )(ad to practically drag mys)(ellf to t)(e t)(rone afterwards to complete the tradition. After that, I don't know w) (appened! I blacked out from blood loss and stayed unconc)(ous for several nig)(ts. I've been )(ealing and recupercoon ridden for aw)(ile. I'm finally able to summon t)(e strengt)( to do some t)(ings. Once I saw )(ow bad t)(e situation was on )(ere I immediately called off t)(e drones. I'm so sorry I codn't do it sooner. 38(

AA: y0u d0n't have t0 app0l0gize Feferi. The imp0rtant thing is that y0u are safe.

CC: T)(anks 38D

TA: 2o there wiill be no drone2?

CC: T)(ey s)(ould all be returning to t)(e palace immediately. One of t)(e t)(ings I want to work on is a complete restructuring of )(ow we collect genetic material for t)(e Mot)(er Grub. But for now I must rest some more. I'm still weak. Bye everyone!

cuttlefishCuller is now idle-

Sollux set his laptop on the coffee table in front of the couch and turned to look at Eridan and Psiion. It was quiet between the three of them aside from an occasional chirp from the young grub as she played with the ring that Eridan had removed from his finger and given to her. "The droneth aren't coming," Sollux repeated the news to Eridan in disbelief.

"Fef is the new Empress," Eridan said testing the words out on his tongue to let them fully sink in.

"We can stay together," Sollux said in relief taking Eridan's hand in his own and petting Psiion's head with his other hand.

"I'll put some coffee on," Eridan decided and stood from the couch.

"Oh yeah, about that…"


	21. Chapter 21

"Motherfucker!"

Eridan awoke from his nap on the couch with a start and heard Psiion's frightened squeak at being awoken from where she had been dozing on his chest. He looked around to find out why he was hearing his matesprit's angry voice ringing out through the hive.

"Shit! Fuck!"

The Aquarius sat up in confusion as Psiion scampered down his chest and onto the couch cushions. "Sol?" he called out wondering what had gotten the other troll so upset. It clearly hadn't been him since he had been sleeping. He felt a slight prickle in the air that told him psionics were in use nearby.

"Jutht give me a fucking minute!" Sollux shouted from down the hall. "I'm too fucking pithed to leave thith room right now!"

"What happened? What's goin' on?" Eridan stood from the couch and picked up Psiion to carry her to the nursery figuring she would probably be hungry by this time. He set her down and she immediately took off after a nearby bug so he closed the door to the room and followed Sollux's angry noises into the office. "Sol?"

"Get out ED," Sollux warned as soon as he noticed Eridan had entered the room.

"Not until you tell me what in the bloody hell crawled up your ass an' died," Eridan demanded.

"I am going to end up doing thomething thtupid or hurting you if you don't jutht leave me alone until I can get calmed down," the Gemini said through gritted teeth as his psionics crackled around him.

"Well what-" Eridan paused when he finally saw what was around Sollux. The psionic had his computer pulled out from under his desk and his bees were buzzing around the room freely instead of busily working on powering the device. Nearly all of the wires to the computer lay in severed pieces under the desk. "Oh."

"Yeah, 'Oh'," Sollux snapped back sarcastically.

"How'd that happen?" Eridan asked apprehensively.

"Oh you mean how did all of the wireth get chewed through with a tiny thet of teeth? Gee, ED, I have no fucking clue!" Sollux raged. Eridan remained silent unsure of what to say next. "That'th why I jutht need to thtay in here until I calm down. I have to fix all this shit anywayth," he grumbled and turned back to his mess of a computer to set to work on it. Eridan sighed and left Sollux alone as he had requested. He returned to the nursery and found his grub playing in the shallow pool of water.

"Psiion," he called her name to get her attention. The tiny violet blood chirped and crawled up onto the ledge of the pool as he came to sit on the floor beside it. He cast a glance over at the two eggs that still sat motionless in the water and he felt his blood pusher clench.

"Psi," he began unsure of how to actually say what he wanted to say. "You've managed to really piss your other dad off. Let me just go ahead an' tell you right now that the rule of thumb is to never under any circumstances touch any a' Sol's computer stuff unless you are prepared to suffer the consequences. Do you understand?" he asked. Psiion furrowed her brow at his serious tone and squeaked. Eridan gave her a smile and petted her head, "I know you didn't know what you were doin'." The young grub squeaked again. Eridan thought he felt something on the grub's head when he patted her and felt around over her hair experimentally. Sollux entered the room looking exasperated.

"What are you doing?" Sollux asked when he noticed the Aquarius parting Psiion's hair and inspecting her scalp.

"I thought I felt somethin' on her head," Eridan muttered as he continued to inspect. Psiion kept trying to move away from her parent's ministrations. "I think she's got another set a' horns comin' in," Eridan finally said in surprise.

"What? Really?" Sollux asked as he approached the two to get a look for himself.

"I mean, that's what it looks like don't you think?" the sea troll asked and held Psiion's hair away from an area of her scalp. The little grub squirmed impatiently.

"Hold thtill," Sollux told her as he ran a finger over the small protrusion on her scalp. "Yeah it doeth feel like it," he agreed. "I gueth we'll jutht have to keep an eye on it to be sure."

"How are you doin'?" Eridan asked as he finally let the grub go free. Psiion hurried off to go hunt down a bug.

"Well I don't feel like blowing anything up anymore," Sollux shrugged.

"I had a talk with her," Eridan said. "I think she understood."

"Good. Now you watch her while I finish fixing my computer," Sollux said giving Eridan a smirk.

"Fine I will watch her and I bet we won't even have to buy another coffee maker afterwards like when some people are responsible for watchin' her," Eridan retorted.

"Yeah good luck with that ED," Sollux laughed and left the room to return to the office.

"Whatever," Eridan grumbled. "Come on Psi let's go in the other room an' I'll read to you. How's that sound?" Psiion scrambled over at the sound of her name and looked up at Eridan with an insect wing sticking out of her mouth. "I really hope you aren't this uncouth after you've molted," he grimaced at the sight. The grub swiped her tongue out and licked the remains of her snack off her mouth. Eridan shuddered then picked her up to carry her the rest of the way into the living room. He brought her over to one of his bookshelves and began browsing the titles.

"What should I read to you?" he asked. "I guess I could start educatin' you on the history of Alternia's military. Or maybe you would just want to hear about the most notable heroes of war throughout history? What do you think?" he looked down at her to get an answer but only received a blank dual toned stare. "War heroes it is then," he decided and took the book from the shelf. He carried it and Psiion over to the couch to get comfortable. The tiny violet blood looked at the book in Eridan's ringed hands with interest. She sat still and listened until midway into the preface and then she started slowly crawling to the other side of the couch. It wasn't until he was about to begin reading chapter one that Eridan noticed Psiion was no longer beside him. He turned to see her on top of the back of the couch looking down between the couch and the wall.

"And just what do you think you're doin'?" Eridan questioned. "You're supposed to be learnin' valuable information from this book." Psiion looked back at Eridan then glanced at the book then looked back at him then turned her attention back to the space between the couch and the wall. She readied herself then jumped down into the crevice emitting an excited squeak on the way down.

"Psi?" Eridan asked in alarm and tried to look down where she had jumped but before he knew it she was crawling out from under the couch and scurrying off somewhere else.

"ED!" Sollux called from the office.

"What?" Eridan asked getting up from the couch and going to the office doorway to see what the lower blooded troll wanted.

"Kanaya called on your Trollian but I mithed it. Take the husktop and call her back from the other room," Sollux told him from underneath his desk.

"Yeah alright," Eridan said and stepped into the room to grab the husktop. He returned to the living room and set the husktop on the coffee table to turn it on. He had just logged into Trollian when he suddenly realized Psiion still wasn't in the room. "Psi?" he called out into the room while he walked around looking for her.

"Everything alright?" Sollux asked when Eridan walked by the open door to the office.

"Everythin' is fine, Sol," Eridan snapped. He peeked into the ablution block and found Psiion on top of the load gaper unrolling the entire roll of load gaper paper from where it was affixed on the wall. "Come here, you," Eridan said to her picking her up and attempting to roll the paper back up. Once he deemed it good enough he brought her back out into the living room and sat down with her on the couch.

"Let's see what Kan wants," he said to her while clicking the video call button. Psiion wiggled free from his grasp and climbed up his arm, around to his back, then up his neck onto his head. She perched herself comfortably between his horns and watched the husktop screen as Kanaya answered.

"Good evening, Eridan," the jade blood greeted. After a moment she noticed the little grub on top of Eridan's head and chuckled. "Hello to you too, Psiion," she added. The tiny violet blood squeaked happily.

"Sorry I missed your call, Kan," Eridan said.

"That is quite alright. I was merely checking up on how things are going with the little one," Kanaya said smiling up at the grub that seemed to be watching her with interest.

"She's a handful, that's for certain," Eridan sighed. "Um, actually Kan, I did need to ask you about somethin'," he said a bit nervously and reached up to grab Psiion off his head then set her down on the floor. "Stay out of trouble," he told her sternly. Psiion happily scurried off to find something to entertain herself with.

"Something the matter?" Kanaya inquired.

"I just didn't know if she should be hearin' the topic I'm bringin' up. It's about the other eggs," Eridan said biting his lip slightly.

"I see. I take it there have been no signs of hatching still?" the jade blood asked calmly.

"Nothin'. They've just been sittin' there completely still."

"Oh Eridan, I am so sorry," Kanaya told him gently. "Give them another night or two just to be sure but after that it may be best to just lay them to rest."

"Yeah, alright," Eridan agreed sadly.

"Anything else?" she asked.

"Uh," the sea troll took a moment to collect his thoughts before realizing he had another question. "What do grubs normally play with? I need to come up with somethin' to keep Psi outta trouble."

"Normally they play with other grubs up until the trials. After that they are chosen by lusii who provide everything they need. I will see if I can bring her a few things soon," she smiled warmly at the higher blooded troll. "It will be alright Eridan. You have a beautiful healthy grub running around that is part you and part Sollux."

"Thanks," Eridan offered his own small smile. "I'd better go track her down an' make sure she's not getting' into anythin'. Talk to you later."

"Take care," Kanaya waved and the call was ended. Eridan stood from the couch and set off once again through the hive to find Psiion. He peeked in on Sollux to find him hard at work so he figured it would be best if he didn't disturb the Gemini. He checked the ablution block since that was where he she had been the last time she ran off but the room was empty. Finally he heard a thud coming from his and Sollux's respite block and rushed down the hall to enter the room.

"Psi?" he called out while looking around for the grub. At first he couldn't figure out what had been the source of the noise but then he noticed one of his books on the floor near the bookshelf. "Psiion?" he asked uncertainly. He heard a squeak and looked up at the very top of the shelf near the ceiling to see her looking down at him excitedly. "How in the hell did you get up there?" he asked in shock. "I don't even think I can get you down." He left the room to grab a chair then positioned it near the bookshelf to stand on and reached out for her. She happily approached him and allowed him to carry her down from the bookshelf.

"You are filthy," Eridan frowned when he saw all the cobwebs she had managed to get stuck to her body. "I'm goin' to have to give you a bath." Psiion squeaked in confusion as Eridan carried her into the ablution block and set her down on the floor after closing the door. He began to fill up the tub with freshwater and sat on the edge as he waited for it to be full enough. "After your bath I'll put you back in your room so you can eat then take a nap," Eridan told her then shut the water off.

The Aquarius picked the grub back up and brought her to the tub. "It's just like the little pool in your room," he said when she began squirming at the sight of the deeper water. "You won't drown in there," he tried to calm her as he brought her closer to the water. Psiion squeaked in distress and wiggled violently to escape being placed in the tub. "You need a bath Psi," Eridan said sternly. He held her over the water and she screeched when she felt him beginning to let go. As soon as his hands moved away, red and blue lights crackled around her body and she remained floating in place over the water. Eridan yelped in surprise and reached over to grab her from where she floated in place.

The second the grub was safely back in her parent's hands the red and blue lights fizzled out. She trembled slightly and looked back at the tub fearfully as Eridan held onto her. "Well, I'm sure Sol will be happy that you have more in common with him then he thinks," the sea troll muttered then placed Psiion on the counter. "If I get in there will it make you feel better?" he asked as he stripped down to his underwear.

Psiion squeaked apprehensively when he picked her back up and carried her over with him to the tub. She clung to him as he stepped in and lowered himself into the water. Once he was settled the water was only deep enough to submerge up to the lower part of his stomach. "See? We're fine," he told the grub and brought her closer to the water. He set her on one of his crossed knees that remained above the water's surface and she looked at the bottom of the tub with curiosity. She felt more secure with her parent being present in the water with her so she took a deep breath then jumped off Eridan's knee into the depths. He watched her swim around experimentally for a moment as he got the soap and a washcloth ready for her.

When she surfaced with a smile Eridan thought it looked like she had two larger fangs on either side where her canines were but her teeth were much too small to be certain. "Come on," he said bringing her closer so he could set her back on his knee. The cobwebs that had been wrapped around her clung to her body in a wet mess. Eridan brought the soapy washcloth to her and began scrubbing her gently.

"What did I mith?" Sollux asked from the doorway when he saw his matesprit sitting in the tub with their grub.

"Nothin' much. Just givin' Psi a bath," Eridan replied casually.

"And you dethided to take one too?" Sollux asked as he walked further into the ablution block.

"I think she was scared of how deep the tub was at first. In fact," Eridan grinned, "I made an interestin' discovery earlier."

"And what would that be?" the yellow blood asked. Eridan rinsed the young grub off then lifted her toward Sollux.

"Grab a towel and dry her off then you can see for yourself," Eridan smirked. Sollux raised an eyebrow at his matesprit's vague hints but found a towel to wrap Psiion up in and began drying her off.

"Do you feel better now that you're all clean?" Sollux asked her. He couldn't help but smile as she shook her little head to rid the water droplets from her hair. Sollux continued rubbing her down with the towel until she appeared dry enough. Eridan worked on draining the water and getting himself out of the tub.

"Tho are you ever going to tell me what it ith you found out?" Sollux asked impatiently. He lowered the towel from Psiion and watched as she closed her eyes and scrunched up her face. She let out a little sneeze and emitted a few sparks of psionics as well. Sollux broke into a full grin and ran a finger over her damp head. "That'th my grub."


	22. Chapter 22

Sollux walked into the living room looking down at his phone screen as he scrolled through messages. "Hey ED I jutht wanted to let you know that-," he stopped when he looked up from his phone to see his matesprit on his hands and knees on the floor peering behind the entertainment center. "What are you doing?" he questioned. Eridan glanced over to Sollux before looking back behind the TV.

"Psi likes hidin' that doll that Kan made for her and then havin' me go find it apparently," the sea troll said then stood up from the floor. Sollux looked over at the couch to see Psiion perched there watching Eridan intently. "What was it that you were sayin' Sol?"

"Oh, I wath jutht letting you know that AA ith going to be coming over to help uth in a little bit," Sollux said.

"Oh," Eridan responded uncomfortably. "Are we sure we gave 'em enough time?"

"It'th been almotht two weekth thinth Thiion hatched. I'm pretty sure they've had enough time," Sollux responded going over to sit on the couch with the little grub. Psiion crawled over to him and got in his lap chirping happily.

"Are you making your dad crawl all over the floor to find your doll?" Sollux asked the young violet blood. Psiion smiled and squeaked in response. "I'm imprethed, ED," he said to Eridan as the Aquarius checked a bookshelf for the hidden toy. "She'th only two weekth old and already hath you crawling on the floor in your good pants," he laughed.

Eridan turned away from the bookshelf to scowl at the Gemini. "I'm just playin' with our grub Sol. It's called bondin'," he rolled his eyes then reached for the top of the bookshelf and felt around. His fingertips made contact with a soft material and he strained to grab onto it then pulled it down. "Psi you can't hide this with your psionics. I can't reach as high as you can," Eridan said as he brought the white seahorse plush over to the couch to give to Psiion. Kanaya had made it special for the infant violet blood and added bee wings to the sea horse's back. Psiion sat up on her back legs in Sollux's lap and reached out her small black front legs to take the doll from Eridan.

"I bond with her too," Sollux retorted. He picked Psiion up off his lap and set her on the couch to get up to turn the TV on as well as one of his game consoles. He picked up a controller and brought it back with him to the couch. Eridan watched with his arms crossed and a hip cocked to the side. Once the game booted up Sollux set Psiion back in his lap and took the seahorse doll out of her grasp.

"Let'th put Mr. Theahorthe down for a little bit," he told her gently so that she wouldn't be upset about having her doll taken away. He put the controller in front of her and pointed to a button. "Can you preth thith?" he asked. Psiion tilted her head back to look at him and blinked her large mismatched eyes.

"In-fuckin-credible," Eridan scoffed. Sollux shot the high blood his middle finger without looking away from his task at hand.

"You can do it Thiion, jutht preth the green button like thith," he said then reached a finger out and pressed the button. The video game character on the TV screen fired his weapon. Psiion looked down at her parent's finger and crawled a little closer. She reached out a little black leg and placed it over the button then pressed down. The character on the screen fired his weapon again. Eridan raised an eyebrow as he watched the interaction between his matesprit and their grub.

"Hell yeth," Sollux said delightedly. "Jutht keep hitting that button alright?" Sollux instructed. He began moving the character forward and Psiion pressed the button again which blasted an enemy that had begun approaching. Eridan rolled his eyes.

"Well since you are grub sittin' I'm goin' to do some cleanin' up," Eridan said then turned to go into the meal block to put the dishes away. He had just put the last dish away and started wiping the counter when there was a knock on the door. He automatically tensed up and fought the urge to panic at not knowing for sure who would be on the other side of the door. He took a deep breath and steeled himself as he went to answer it.

"Hello Eridan," the sea troll was greeted by the shorter female rust blood.

"Hello Ara," he replied a bit awkwardly. He relaxed knowing that he wasn't in immediate danger at the moment. The Aries still made him slightly uncomfortable. He had always found her fascination with death as well as her low blood status unnerving.

"Sollux was expecting me," Aradia said with a slight grin when Eridan had made no move to invite her in.

"Oh, right," he stepped aside for her to enter. "He did mention that," he said closing the door. Eridan led the way to where his matesprit was still playing a video game with their grub. Aradia let out a giggle with she saw her moirail.

"I really shouldn't be surprised by this," she said gaining Sollux's attention.

"Hey AA. Give uth a few more minuteth and I'll be ready," Sollux said distractedly.

"No problem," she gave a thumbs up and turned back to Eridan who was hovering awkwardly nearby. "Your grub is adorable," she smiled.

"Thanks," he offered a small smile in return.

"Alright Thiion, you can have Mr. Theahorthe back now," Sollux said as he turned off the game and set the grub on the couch next to her doll. "We have to go do adult thtuff tho you thtay in here for a little bit." Sollux switched the channel to something for her to watch. "Thtay out of trouble. If you're good I'll give you a cookie."

"Sol, I don't think she's supposed to be eatin' cookies," Eridan interjected. "Kan specifically said we are not to hand feed her."

"Why though? Because that'th not how Mothergrub hatched grubth eat? ED, she'th never going to be anywhere clothe to a Mothergrub hatched grub. She wathn't hatched in a real cave with clutch mateth, she hath no trialth to go through, and she will not be chothen and raithed by a luthuth. One cookie won't kill her," Sollux stated. Eridan pursed his lips and Aradia watched the exchange between the two with interest.

"Fine, but we need to make sure that she at least is able to defend herself and fight if necessary when she's older," Eridan said.

"Yeah that shouldn't be a problem, ED," Sollux laughed. "She hath thionicth remember."

"Well teach her how to use 'em properly then so she doesn't blow herself up," Eridan argued.

"Hey guys, while this is entertaining I believe we have something that needs to be done," Aradia interjected.

"Yeah, you're right AA. Thorry," said Sollux. The mood between the two males suddenly took a turn for the somber. Eridan remained quiet as they made their way down the hallway toward the nursery. Sollux pushed the door open and they approached the shallow pool where the two inert eggs still rested.

"I knew what was going on with you two when I saw them among the other dead. I was just waiting for you to be ready to tell me yourself," Aradia said quietly.

"So you knew these two weren't goin' to hatch this whole time?" Eridan asked. "Why didn't you say anythin'?"

"You had to come to terms with it for yourself," she explained. "If I had told you you wouldn't have believed me."

"Tho they were lowbloodth? The oneth we had to… terminate to thave ED?" Sollux asked feeling his conflicting feelings of guilt well up inside him.

"This one," Aradia said touching one of the shells, "was a bronze blood." She moved her hand over to the other egg. "This was a yellow blood." Sollux felt a sharp pang of an emotion at the revelation. "Do you have an idea of where you would like to bury them?" she asked gently. Eridan glanced over to Sollux and could tell how distraught he was.

"That little hill right beside the hive," the sea troll answered. He reached for his matesprit's hand and gave it a little squeeze.

"Are you guys ready now?" Aradia asked. She patted Sollux's shoulder comfortingly.

"Yeah, let'th jutht do thith," Sollux managed to say. He reached out to take one of the eggs while Eridan took the other one. They left the room and ventured back out to the living room toward the front door. Psiion watched them exit through the front door from where she lay curled up on the couch with her seahorse doll watching the TV.

Aradia stopped to pick up the digging tools she had brought along with her and left on the side of the hive. The trio ascended the hill in silence. "Here?" Aradia asked once they had reached the top.

"This is fine," Eridan said and watched as she set to work digging. He shared a glance with Sollux and noticed that the Gemini looked as though he was holding the egg like it would break at any moment. He looked down at the egg he held in his own hands. The egg had grown and been carried inside him. He had put it into this world and it would never become a fully functional troll like it was meant to. He stroked his fingers over the shell in fondness until Aradia finished digging the hole.

"Alright, it's ready," the rust blood announced softly. Eridan stepped forward with the egg in his hands. He felt tears sting his eyes as he stroked the shell one last time before kneeling down to place it in the ground. He stepped away as Sollux followed suit. Sollux's face remained stoic but it was clear a war was being waged in his mind.

"Should I cover them now?" Aradia asked.

"Go ahead," Sollux answered. A heavy silence fell again among the trolls as Aradia filled the hole in with dirt. Eridan reached for Sollux's hand and held onto it tightly. Aradia patted the ground with the back of the shovel when she had finished filling it in. With a solemn look exchanged among them all they began walking back toward the hive. Aradia dropped her tools off on the side of the hive again and gave the two males a grin.

"Time to find out if someone deserves a cookie now," she laughed to lighten the mood. Sollux managed a small smile.

"I gueth tho," the yellow blood said. "ED, then you can find out how ruined she will be if she eath a cookie." Eridan lifted the corners of his lips at that. They all entered the hive and stepped into the living room to find Psiion still curled up on the couch with her doll.

"Oh! It's cookie time!" Aradia cheered. "Can I give it to her?" Sollux looked at Eridan to give his permission on the matter.

"I suppose that'll be alright," Eridan gave in. "Let me get one for you," he said then disappeared into the meal block.

"How are you holding up Sollux?" she asked. Sollux shrugged.

"I thtill feel like it'th my fault. Like I could have done thomething different," he admitted.

"You couldn't have, Sollux. You did the best you could and saved Eridan's life. No matter what you were going to have a negative outcome," the Aries assured. "They are not suffering you know. They are okay." Sollux looked at the sincerity on his moirail's face and felt a little better.

"Here, Ara," Eridan said emerging from the meal block and handed a cookie to her. She smiled excitedly and went to take a seat beside the little grub on the couch.

"Hey Psiion," she said to get the grub's attention. Aradia looked back over to the male trolls. "What are you guys to her?"

"We're her dads," Eridan answered. Aradia nodded in understanding and turned back to Psiion.

"You were really good while your dads were out so now you get a cookie as a reward," Aradia explained. Psiion perked up and sniffed at the cookie the rust blood held out towards her. The tiny violet blood opened her mouth and grabbed the treat out of Aradia's hand then sat up to use her front legs to hold onto the cookie while she devoured it. Aradia looked back over at Sollux and Eridan and mouthed 'so cute'. Sollux chuckled and went over to the couch to speak to the grub.

"AA'th my moirail, Thiion. You'll probably thee her a lot. I get the feeling she might thpoil you," Sollux said.

"Considerin' she's already spoiled here I'm not sure that's a good thing," Eridan added.

"No way!" Aradia giggled. "This little cutie deserves it."


	23. Chapter 23

They had gotten the invitation over a week ago but had no definite plan as to what they were going to do. Eridan stood in front of the ablution block mirror watching himself as he buttoned up his white formal shirt. "Do you think we need a grub sitter though?" he asked anxiously. He turned to look over at Sollux who was frowning at his own reflection and pulling a finger against the bow tie around his neck.

"I mean, no?" the yellow blood answered. "Thiion'th been in her cocoon for a few dayth now. It'th not like she'th going to be getting into thingth while we're gone. Besideth, who would we even athk? Everyone is going to be at FF'th party with uth. Do I have to wear thith? Fuck!" Sollux grabbed at the bowtie again, unintentionally pulling it undone.

"Yes you have to," Eridan rolled his eyes and turned to his matesprit to fix the bowtie that hung limply around his neck. "Or we could just not go and stay here with Psi."

"Ath much ath I would love to not go, it would look odd for the Empreth'th former quadrant mateth to not show up at her inaugural ball. She thpethifically wanth for all of uth to be there," Sollux grabbed Eridan's cold hands after he finished fixing his clothing. "I hate leaving her too, but I doubt she will come out of that cocoon while we're away tonight," he brought Eridan's hands up to his lips and placed a soft kiss on the chilled skin.

"Can't you rig up some sort of monitorin' device that we can take with us?" Eridan asked in irritation. He reclaimed his hands and turned back to the mirror to do up his own bow tie. "Fuckin' hell, what if she does emerge from the cocoon and we aren't here an' she gets scared an' -"

"Eridan!" Sollux grabbed onto the highblood's shoulders and shook him lightly. "Thtop getting tho worked up. We're going to FF'th ball, we'll mingle for a few hourth, then we'll come back home to Thiion and she'll thtill be in her cocoon." Eridan took deep breaths to calm his nerves, his fins flared and he still looked frustrated. "I'll thee if I can figure out a portable monitoring devithe," he sighed.

"Thank you," Eridan said and leaned over to give the yellow blood a peck on the lips. "I suppose I'll finish getting' ready while you do that." Eridan turned back to the mirror and Sollux left to go dig through his spare computer parts to see what would take the least amount of work to produce the results he needed. He quickly pieced something together and when he entered Psiion's room to place the camera near her cocoon he found Eridan there already. The violet blood stood beside the cocoon in his white tuxedo with his fingertips resting on it. "We need to get going or we'll be more than fathionably late. You know how much you hate not being fathionable," Sollux snickered.

"I miss her, Sol," Eridan whispered. "It feels wrong without her around."

"It'th not like she really went anywhere. She'll be back in her new form and will be able to do all thorth of thtuff with uth," Sollux said. "You ready to go thee FF?"

"Yeah," Eridan reluctantly withdrew from the cocoon. "You probably can't call her that at the ball. She is the Empress now after all."

"I don't give a shit. We go way back, if I want to call her FF then I will." Sollux replied stubbornly. The lowblood grabbed his black tuxedo jacket from the couch as they passed through the living room and shrugged it on. Eridan busied himself with straightening out Sollux's tux until the yellow blood swatted his hands away.

The entire way to the party Eridan kept his eyes glued to the tiny screen of the grub monitor. He reluctantly slid it into his pocket as they approached the castle. The entire structure was lit up and teeming with activity. The castle had been built into the edge of a sea cliff and while most of the floors were accessible to a majority of the troll population, the lower levels were submerged in the ocean. Sollux immediately felt uncomfortable being around so many people at such an upscale event. He glanced over at his matesprit and was once again struck with the realization that Eridan was much higher on the hemospectrum than him. He looked around at the other high bloods present at the palace and couldn't stop himself from thinking that Eridan could have done so much better than him.

"What's wrong?" Sollux heard Eridan's voice ask. He hadn't even noticed they had stopped walking.

"Nothing," the Gemini responded automatically.

"You sure?" Eridan asked skeptically. "You had that look on your face that you get when you're thinkin' too hard." Sollux shook his head.

"It'th nothing, really," he assured. Eridan reached out and straightened Sollux's bow tie that had been lopsided from his constant fidgeting with it.

"You don't look half bad dressed up like this you know. I might just have to keep an eye on you to make sure no one tries to steal you away," the violet blood gave a crooked grin.

"Yeah like anyone elthe would want to come near thith," Sollux rolled his eyes and motioned to himself. He felt his insecurities vanish and took Eridan's ringed hand in his own. The sea troll gave him a quick peck on the forehead then led the way into the massive ballroom where the festivities were being held.

For those who grew up with Feferi Peixes the decorations did not come as much of a surprise. Banners done up in pastel pinks and lace were scattered throughout the hall. Bouquets of flowers ranging from pinks to blues were the centerpieces on every table. It was overall a much brighter and more inviting tone than anything seen during Her Imperious Condescension's reign. All the guests chattered amongst themselves and Eridan stole another glance at the grub monitor before Feferi herself entered the room. She was followed by a few security guards and what appeared to be an assistant. She wore a flowing white dress and was glittering with gold jewelry and accessories. Her long dark hair cascaded down her back with various braided parts worked into the mass. The room quieted down when she entered and remained silent as she took her place at the head of the hall.

"I would like to take a moment to thank you all for coming to such a special event," Feferi addressed the guests as they all watched her expectantly. "I realize that not all of you know who I am. My name is Feferi Peixes and I am you new Empress. Under my rule there are going to be some big changes. Unlike my predecessor this will be an empire ruled with care, compassion, and understanding." Feferi paused for a moment to assess the crowd and found that they appeared enthralled with her speech.

"I have been acting as Empress for nearly a perigee while I have been healing from my battle with the Condesce. Traditionally this ball would have been held first as a formal coronation but I wasn't fully able to get around until now. In the meantime, matters still had to be dealt with. I have called off the drones that collect genetic material for the mother grub. I intend to rework the entire system that is used to contribute to the mother grub. Culling from here on out no longer means death. Under my rule, to cull means to care for. I also have diplomats working with all the planets we are at war with and they are working out peace treaties as we speak. One final note and then we can resume the party," she smiled brightly and earned a few chuckles from her guests. "If anyone is interested in a position within the palace let me know. I am completely re staffing with trolls who will support my ideas and beliefs and who want to see this empire grow spectacularly. A few positions have already been filled. For example, my new subjugglator is Gamzee Makara. If you ever break the law you will be meeting him." She motioned off to the side of the room and sure enough there Gamzee stood lazily watching the new empress give her speech. Eridan stared at him in horror and Sollux instinctively moved closer to the shocked sea troll.

"Whale, let's get this party started," Feferi smiled sounding more like her usual self as opposed to the serious tone she used while addressing important business. She nodded to her guards who then walked with her further into the ballroom to mingle while music began to play and everyone resumed their conversations.

"Why the fuck would she hire GZ?" Sollux asked worriedly as soon as it was appropriate to speak again.

"I don't gave a clue," Eridan said as he pulled out the grub monitor yet again. "You don't suppose he's told her anythin' do you?"

"I mean, if he did FF would probably thay thomething to uth right?" Sollux thought out loud. Eridan was relieved to see that Psiion's cocoon was exactly the same as it had been the last time he had checked the screen. He put the monitor away and noticed that Feferi was speaking with Karkat.

"What do you suppose they could be talkin' about?" Eridan asked. He noted how uncomfortable Karkat looked while he stood and listened to Feferi speak.

"Who knowth…" Sollux trailed off and Karkat looked over in their direction. He waved and Feferi looked over to see whom he was waving to. Her grin widened and she motioned for the two to come over. They shared a look before steeling themselves and approaching.

"I'm so glad you two made it!" Feferi told them happily. She gave them both a tight hug and when she pulled away her eyes appeared more watery than usual. "I had wanted to say goodbye to you guys before I left to fight her. Just in case- you know?"

"It's alright Fef we understand," Eridan said feeling himself get emotional as well. After all, she was his moirail once upon a time. She was also Sollux's matesprit long before Eridan was. The Empress smiled at them again and wiped at her eyes.

"I was just hearing the details of how horribubble it was while the drones were out collecting. Karkat said he and Terezi had to abandon their hive," she told them. Sollux looked over at Karkat and silently tried to determine whether the shorter troll had mentioned anything about his own situation as well.

"Sollux actually helped me with that. We doused the place in his blood too to make it look like a teal and a gold were living there," Karkat explained.

"It wath the leatht I could do to help. I couldn't let the planeth shittietht programmer die like that," Sollux smirked.

"Fuck you! Just because I'm not some sort of fucking prodigy like you doesn't mean I'm not at least decent at it," Karkat growled.

"I'm with Sol on this one. You're pretty terrible at it," Eridan agreed.

"Fuck you both with something hard and sand papery," Karkat spat.

"But what about your hive now?" Feferi chimed in. "Where are you and Terezi living?"

"We've been staying with Kanaya still. At her hive though, not in the caves," the Cancer admitted. Feferi puffed her cheeks out in thought for a moment before suddenly lighting up like a Twelfth Perigee's Eve tree.

"I will send a crew to clean up your hive and restore it to as good as new. Then you can move back in," she grinned excitedly.

"Well I mean- you really don't have to. We could probably just-," Karkat suddenly felt awkward for imposing and wasn't sure what to say.

"Nonsense!" Feferi insisted. "It is my duty as your frond to kelp out, but also as Her Honorable Benevolancy I have sworn to kelp the lower blooded trolls of the empire."

"Yeah but, a whole team just to come clean up my shitty hive? It just seems-"

"Shoosh! Not another word. I'll get you and Terezi back in your own hive in no time," Feferi said with finality.

"Thanks," he said in his gravely voice. He did look appreciative and like a weight had been lifted from his mind. "I'll go tell Terezi the news. See you guys around," he said to Eridan and Sollux then left to go find his matesprit.

"What about you guys? From the looks of that group message you weren't faring well either when the drones were on their way," Feferi said.

"We would've been culled because we could only fill one pail," Sollux answered.

"Oh my!" Feferi gasped in surprise. "Neither of you has a kismesis?"

"Well, see, that's the thing Fef. We vacillate too frequently to be able to have someone else in that quadrant," Eridan said. Feferi seemed surprised so he attempted to lighten the mood with humor. "I blame this bipolar asshole," the violet blood stuck his thumb in Sollux's direction beside him. Sollux rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to snap back an insult but his words died in his throat. Eridan noticed the look on Sollux's face and wondered what it was that he had seen. He didn't have to wonder for long.

"Hey there my fishy sister," Gamzee drawled as he came out of seemingly nowhere. "You really know how to throw a party."

"Thanks Gamzee," Feferi smiled. "I can't really take all the credit though. It's just an inauguration ball. It's customary to have. I cod probubbly throw some even bigger ones later on." As she spoke Gamzee looked over at Sollux and Eridan and flashed them a dangerous grin.

"Did Eribro tell you all about his secret miracles he had cookin'?" Gamzee asked the Empress.

"Secret miracles?" Feferi asked in confusion. "What secret miracles?" she looked to her two former quadrant mates. Sollux was frozen in place unsure of what to say or do next. Eridan finally remembered to breathe and waved a hand dismissively.

"I have no idea what he's goin' on about. He's probably had too much sopor and is just imaginin' things," Eridan said quickly.

"I guess you haven't all up and told her about the miracles that came right outta your mother fucking belly," Gamzee shrugged. "I just thought you would've considerin' you're all friends and whatnot."

"He's fuckin' insane," Eridan insisted. "Maybe you should go lie down Gam," he fought to keep his voice calm.

"I have appointed Gamzee as a very important figure of authority in the empire," Feferi said slowly. "I would not have done so if I felt that he would be incompetent at his job. Tell me what this is about," she demanded. Sollux glared at Gamzee whose lips curled into a nefarious grin. Eridan was at a loss for words and looked back and forth between Feferi, Sollux, and Gamzee like a cornered animal for a moment.

"Sollux and I have a grub," Eridan admitted quietly.

"What?" Feferi reeled in shock. "Where did you get it?"

"We made her," Sollux spoke up. His eyes crackled faintly with psionics as his instincts prepared him to have to protect his grub.

"I don't understand," Feferi shook her head. "How did you make a grub?"

"Sol and I found out on accident that our kind can become pregnant," Eridan gestured between himself and the fuchsia blood. "I laid eggs and only one hatched. Now we have a grub."

"You're keeping the grub?" Feferi questioned.

"Of courthe we're keeping her! She'th ourth," Sollux snapped.

"We are both like a lusus to her," Eridan explained. Feferi furrowed her brow and remained silent as she let all of the information sink in.

"This is so crazy," she said still in surprise.

"What are you going to do about this little fucking miracle?" Gamzee goaded.

"Right… um," the Empress gathered her thoughts for a moment. "Did this grub's hatching get officially documented?"

"Yeah, I mean, Kan filled out the papers for her the night she hatched," Eridan explained.

"Okay, I'll let that slide since at the time there was no acting Empress to enforce that but I still should have been notified sooner of this grub's existence. How did she fare in the trials?" Feferi asked.

"Well, Fef, she wasn't hatched in the broodin' caverns. She was hatched in our hive. She never had any trials," Eridan said carefully. Feferi still seemed to be trying to process everything but she paused and blinked at the Aquarius and Gemini.

"How long has it been since she hatched?" Feferi asked.

"A- a perigee," Eridan answered hesitantly. A silence washed over the four trolls. Sollux and Eridan watched Feferi anxiously as she went over the entire situation internally. Gamzee rocked back and forth on his heels as he watched everything unfold.

"This means…" Feferi spoke quietly with uncertainty at first before taking on a more serious tone. "This means she will have to be eliminated."

"What the fuck do you mean 'eliminated'?" Sollux demanded harshly.

"Fef you can't mean-" Eridan began to plead.

"I mean that she must be killed. My reign may be completely different than that of my predecessor, but some things are in place for a reason. We have gone for millennia using the trials to ensure the future of our species. Only the strong are meant to survive. This grub of yours has not proven she is strong enough to make it into adulthood. Who is to say she isn't some frail troll who will bring nothing good to the gene pool for the future?"

"You're not killin' her," Eridan said sternly.

"You heard the lady," Gamzee sounded almost giddy.

"What if she did path the trialth?" Sollux asked. "Would you acthept her then?"

"She would need to do them as soon as possible. She's already had too much extra time as it is," Feferi decided. "Tomorrow."

"She's in a cocoon now," Eridan said.

"So it will be a newly molted young troll going through the trials instead of a grub?" Feferi raised her eyebrows. "That isn't how it's supposed to work."

"Obviouthly," Sollux rolled his eyes. "But give her a chanthe."

"How long has she been in a cocoon?" Feferi asked.

"Just since today," Eridan lied quickly to buy them some more time. Sollux noticed the wrong information but kept his mouth shut figuring Eridan knew what he was doing.

"Alright then. The moment she emerges from the cocoon you are to notify me and she is to complete the trials," Feferi stated. "Gamzee, you are in charge of putting the trials together," she told the subjugglator.

"It will be a pleasure," the clown grinned. Neither Eridan nor Sollux missed the glint that came to his eye.


End file.
